Little Brother - Acrylic on Canvas

Image 6 - Finished

Image 5 - Actual colors

Image 4 - Washed beginnings

Image 3 - Monica reference (older sister)

Image 2 - Madeline reference (younger sister)

Image 1 - Merged photos of 2 and 3

My grandson's third birthday is next weekend.  Therefore, I decided to talk about this painting as it depicts his homecoming.  For me, realism is less important than the story I wish to tell in a painting. (Unless, of course, I am doing a portrait of someone.)  Here, I am not concerned that the children look exactly like my grandchildren because their story is universal.  My goal is for the painting to be special to anyone, not just their mother.  Of course, their mother snagged the painting before it was dry.  I am glad she approved so heartily.  It is hers to cherish.  None the less, that initial moment of a child meeting a new human being with intense caution and curiosity was the goal of this painting.  To be honest, I am not quite sure I "got it."  (See the critique at the end.)

The Back Story
I had the girls while mommy was in the hospital to "get the baby out," and I brought them home to meet their new little brother.  (The hospital wasn't allowing children under 18 at the time.)  I had my camera, as I often do, and snapped a gazillion pictures.  Unfortunately, I am not a very good photographer.  My favorite picture was Image 2 above.  Madeline shyly crept across the sofa for a peek at her little brother.  The light was perfect as it poured through the picture window.  I was so anxious to get the moment that I didn't think for one second about composition.  Consequently, I chopped off her whole hind end in the viewing field.  Still, that moment rolled around my head for two years. Finally, I gathered up enough courage to paint it. 

Working From Photos
For me, photos are as much a part of my process as the sketchbook.  I have a collection of my own random snapshots that really are not much good on their own, but each one has a special "thing" about them that I want to keep.  I primarily use them in the manner you see here and in the previous post, as reference.  Here I merged two photos together rather roughly.  The trick was to get the size of each child's head to relate to the other correctly.  The original photos were not "zoomed in" the same way, so I had to adjust it in photoshop until if felt right.  This was a start.

Jumping Off the Photos and On To Canvas
From here, I print the photo on regular printer paper and grid it out.  I also grid my primed canvas and start to transfer information.  I use a thin wash of watered down sienna.  I don't always follow the grid exactly.  As you can see, there are some compositional choice made here.  Note the angle of the pillow that Monica's arm rests on and the seat cushion lines.   All these are directional tools to direct the eye into the painting.  Good or bad, it was a conscious choice.  Later I would make color and pattern choices.  I kept the sofa's character in the print/pattern and chose to remove the pattern on Monica's pants.  Keeping Monica's clothing all one color provided a unified shape and proved to be less distracting.  Changing the baby blanket color and pattern helped separate the baby from the blankets.  Some choices I could foresee, others were made by trial and error.  (That is the sweet thing about acrylics, you can paint over them repeatedly.)

FYI : Materials
I used Liquitex Student grade acrylic paints for this painting and Liquitex glazing medium.  I have recently bumped up to the professional grade acrylics as they seem to suspend better in the glazing medium.  I usually use unprimed medium weight canvas and prime it myself with a decent gesso.

The Critique
One of the things I miss the most about school is the critiques.  For this painting I called upon a former student to give me her thoughts.  She currently lives overseas and carries on a pretty busy life as a working artist.  Her critique arrived after the painting was gone.  None the less, I love every word.  Even though I can't "correct" the issues, I think it is worth sharing. 

Here's an excerpt from her critique :

"I know you mentioned you were having troubles with the little one on the
left that is crawling on the sofa towards the baby. What I find is the girl
looks like she is weightless or the sofa is made of a hard substance. The
shadows look good but she is not making any or enough indentations in the
sofa cushions."

From my own observations I will say that I am still slightly disappointed that I couldn't manage a more dramatic lighting as was in the original photos. Yet, I am not sure it detracts from the story.

When all is said and done, the audience seldom, if ever, has the opportunity to see the original source for the paintings.  Therefore, we must judge and critique the work as it stands alone.