UNFINISHED STUDY OF GIRL’S HEAD BY TOM BROWN

“STUDY OF GIRL’S HEAD”
Oil painting on canvas

Here’s a glimpse behind the scenes to show how I sometimes work. This young girl posed during a brief demonstration I did in a recent portrait workshop. The goal was to create form and features in her face with a minimum of fuss, using well placed strokes of color and value.

For this exercise we were outdoors in direct sunshine and light was reflected into the shadows of her face. I wanted to capture that effect and also demonstrate how creative use of color can add artistic flair. This is just one of many approaches an artist can use, as shown in my instructional CD on portrait painting.

For purposes of this demonstration there was no need to complete the entire head. This was merely about capturing planes of color and tone in the face. When I reached this stage I felt I had achieved what I intended. I actually like this piece in this unfinished state. I feel it has a certain freshness and looseness to it. (Click the image for a larger view.)

This piece was not originally intended for sale, but if you would like to own it email me at tombrownstudio@cox.net.

I hope you enjoyed this change of pace from my usual plein air landscapes and still life compositions. Have a wonderful day; it’s a beautiful world!

Today’s thought to smile about:
A child’s view of life