On the Easel

TSgt Vignaroli

I took digital photographs of Mr. Vignaroli and chose several different poses.  I then shot over 120 photographs, of which several were used as a composite for this portrait.

After the photography session, I painted a color study from life to ensure faithful skin tones and clothing color.  Photographs are often incorrect in their color reproduction and can not be used as a basis for the colors in the painting.

I began the portrait with a toned canvas and sketched Joe based on the photographs and live sitting.

I started blocking in the darks, and then followed with the mid-tones.  You can see some of the reference photos on the left and the color sketch on the right.  As you can see the color sketch is very rough without any regards for detail or structural accuracy other than that needed to correctly place the variation in skin tone colors.

To see a more detailed, step-by-step description of this process, click on "Roger on the Easel."

I then started placing lights and blocking in the clothes and background. 

Here you can see that I started correcting the colors of the jacket and rendering the jacket and flight suit with more detail

To finish the clothing I asked my faithful assistant to help out.

At this stage, the rough-in is finished, and I'll start the process over again, re-stating the darks, mid-tones, and lights. 

TSgt Dante Joseph Vignaroli II

Oil on Canvas

40" X 30"

October 2004

Here's the finished portrait. 

During the painting of this portrait, I wasn't sure that I made the right decision for the pose.  Therefore, I decided to paint another version. 

Return to On the Easel

©  2005, 2004, 2003, 2002 Marc J. Surrency.  Artist scans, images, and web design are protected by copyright. Physical or electronic reproduction in whole or part is unlawful without written permission of the artist.