May 2009
Female Portrait Five
by Allison Alexandra
This portrait serves as a wonderful study of combining multiple photo references. The end result is an image that is enhanced beyond each individual photo standing alone.
The subject is Paula Morrison, a fast runner who competed in the Olympic Trials three times. Here she is out on the track on a sunny day.
Please Scroll down to find a synopsis of the process of Painting
a Female Portrait.
"Paula"
Olympic Trials Runner
24" x 18", Pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord
by Allison Alexandra
One afternoon, I met Paula at the track, when she was not teaching. This pose "spoke" to me the most strongly. I used this reference for most of the portrait/ figure work, even though the lighting was not ideal.
Initially, I had the impression that we were meeting at a small junior high dirt track. I used to do some running there in my old neighborhood. As happy accidents do occur, it turned out Paula had a different track in mind. There was a nearby high school track for advanced athletes.
Paula's regular track ended up having a good design element that was perfect for the background of this runner portrait (see next section). It helped taking much photo reference. The day we were there, some kind of special event was happening on the track.
photo reference #1 ~ portrait
Two. Sketch
Here is a light charcoal sketch on an 18" x 24" Ampersand Pastelbord.
At the bottom left corner, one can see another photo reference showing the sinuous white lines of the track behind Paula. Light was coming from the opposite direction, and her position was different.
I preferred the light hitting the figure from the left in the first photo and the track design from the second photo.
I loved how the lines added an interesting pattern and depth
to this composition.
photo reference #2 ~ track / Sketch
Three. First Layer
The first layer was done using NuPastels to rough in the basis
of the composition.
Here is another photo reference included at the top on the right. It shows the majestic mountain range, visible in Tucson, Arizona.
Using Rose Pink 246, Carnival Red 336, and Carmine Madder 206, the shirt was begun and worked on. Browns and purples were mostly used for the shadow areas.
The shorts were started with Light Blue 235 and Ultramarine Blue 265.
1st Layer
Four. Another Layer
The painting progressed. Another photo reference was utilized to paint the folds and describe the hair. Some folds were improvised.
The colors of the hair and the shirt were made more intense. Blues and purples are added to the mountains and track for
atmospheric perspective purposes.
Five. Final Portrait
Contrast was added to the hair so that light blonde strands are highlighted against shadow areas. The face and ear were developed to a more finished state. Sennelier pastels were incorporated into the blue shorts, enhancing the rich hue of running shorts.
The track was developed so that white lines are much thicker in the front than in the background. Variety was added to the trees on the horizon, and clouds speckled the sky for interest. The building was removed in the end. There was no need for it.
Care was taken to give the background a blurry or foggy effect to set it back. Now, there was a clear portrait of a runner standing in front of a distant, picturesque mountain range.
"Paula"
Olympic Trials Runner
24" x 18", Pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord
by Allison Alexandra