Sketching Vermeer
I want to show you the kind of sketches we create when putting together a portrait painting.
In this case the painting is Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring, 1665".
Mapping the negative space.
Notice how unlike drawings they are!
A sketch is a problem solving exercise.
Sketch painting.
We start with a few quick sketches to enable us to see the structure of the face.
Negative space helps us place the portrait on the canvas.
Learning how to rotate a cube in space helps us find the postion of the eyes, nose and mouth.
Perspective: finding the vanishing point.
Looking for the many nested curves.
These processes are antithetical to the absolute nonsense promulgated about Vermeer by David Hockney and Tim Jenison of 'Tim's Vermeer' infamy.
Hockney and Jenison propose that Vermeer and other Baroque masters relied heavily on optical devices to create their stunningly realistic paintings.
Look what one of my students produced in just 4 hours, using her ability to listen, think and paint.
Read more: Loretta's Vermeer
"It was excellent to learn Vincent Van Gogh's techniques in a lovely setting. Go for it Pietro!
" - Giancarlo Mazzella. Van Gogh's Starry Night, May 2014, Kununurra, The Kimberleys, Western Australia.