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BeaGifted — Portrait Study- Tom
#tom #beagifted #catsatthebar #portrait #speedpainting #study #studypractice
Published: 2015-03-23 17:28:35 +0000 UTC; Views: 2364; Favourites: 85; Downloads: 63
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Everyone, meet Tom from Catsatthebar ! He’s a writer, photographer, and cat aficionado!Not to long ago, I published an article requesting help from my followers by asking them to allow me to paint a portrait of them, for practice. As I mentioned- one of the goals I have, for this blog is to be able to engage with my followers and watchers– and what better way to do that, then to allow you the opportunity to take part in some of my studies as I learn and grow as an artist! I only had a few slots open and Tom was the first to join in!
I was really excited when I got his photo– he’s a handsome guy with an interesting personality and it shows! This photo in particular is one that he said he was known for taking– where he just kind of stops and stares off into the distance at whatever happens to catch his eye.
About this painting– it’s not photo accurate. I never intended for it to be. These are simply excises; speed paintings done in a short amount of time, designed to try different techniques, broaden my understanding of using different brushes for different effects, playing with my imagination to enhance the lighting and ambiance, and to have a general understanding of facial structure and shapes. It’s important to me that I keep these paintings loose and avoid being a perfectionist. As the old saying goes– only practice makes perfect– and perfectness is simply a byproduct of practice. Overall, when doing these types of studies, the objective is to learn, embrace imperfection,relaxed and have fun while doing it.
To view the original post and the original photo, you can check it out my Monday Evening Post beagifted.com/2015/03/23/monda…
As always, Enjoy!
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Comments: 11
This is so good! You kept it so realistic but pushed elements just enough to give him a ton of personality. Your work is really lively and beautiful
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As someone who has painted portraits on commission since I was fourteen, I think your work is gorgeous. How long did it take? I can't remember the last time I did a sketch portrait. Mine involve layers upon layers of acrylic paint, so it looks alive when the viewer moves (kind of like Impressionism).
Looking forward to more of your work.
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Thank you Milica! I spent about 3-4 hours on it maybe? Mines is digital though so i imagine yours took a lot more effort being it's a less forgiving medium.
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That's amazing. Yes. Traditional does take longer, because of all the drying in between layers. 
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I'm curious, which painting is of your grandfather? I couldn't quite find it in your gallery? I could be overlooking it.
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That's because I did not post it on DA. X-| Sorry about that. Only recently have I tried to be consistent on DA. I usually post my progress on Facebook, because it is easier. You can see some of my portraits here: milifayart.artofmili.ca/galler… (This is the site I'm currently building.)
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Oooh, thank you 
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You're welcome. Love your work, too.
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Nice portrait
I never was really enthousiast about doing portrait because I know it can hurt the feeling of the subject if you don't pay too much attention to how you present it. But from time to time I'm trying some sketch and think it woul be great to start more seriously. Your work is giving me some courage. I'll be very happy to see what come next ^^
(And his site seems interesting)
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I agree with you. Portraits are touchy for some if they aren't spot on. People tend to be pretty critical over minute details. So I let those who agreed to this project know upfront not to expect a pure photo replica. Trying to hard to get things spot on would have only stiffed the learning experience as a whole. Like looking at a tree instead of the whole Forrest you miss the big picture. As you draw, and study your subject, learning comes naturally because you're training your eyes for what to look for. Example-- how the eyes are shaped and where the folds fall around the eyes. what shape the nose is in relationship to the lips-- all of that. The more you study as you draw, your work will gradually reflect your growth-- and your work becomes more accurate as a result. The good thing is, that people are more forgiving of your flaws when you're upfront and honest about them. You don't have to broadcast it, but you let them know what to expect. You're learning, it's practice, and you're growing.
If you do decide to do portrait studies, you can approach it with a serious intent to learn from the experience, but just don't take it too seriously because drawing can be frustrating as hell if you don't allow yourself the freedom to make mistakes or have flaws in your work.
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Thanks so much for the tips ^^ Idon't intend to use the word "seriously" in the first meaning. Afetre all I'm drawing because I want to. And the things about the whole picture is so true. That's why it can be really hard to draw someone you don't know, you'll miss so much things. but taht's also the purpose of one of my sketch series of the moment. Just study a person on my way back home in transports and draw what I catched and remember after that. That way I'm sure the détails won't be the most important things that will come.
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