Back in February 2015, I was fortunate to be able to attend my first Portrait Workshop by acclaimed artist, Ignat Ignatov. The San Fernando Valley Arts & Cultural Center graciously hosted this wonderful event.
With the success of Pastimes for a Lifetime’s April 2016 Guest Artist program with Regina Lyubovnaya, I reached out to Ignat, asking if he would consider providing a workshop at the studio. Lucky for us, he agreed. He chose to focus his demo + workshop on portrait painting basics. He offered to bring a model, but I immediately thought of my long time art student, Abby G. She recently graduated high school and is going off to an art college. What a perfect opportunity to be our featured portrait model! Lucky for us, she agreed.
He began by sharing his thought processes. “I think of painting as sculpture, carving from big features to the small details like the eyelash.” He showed how the head can be thought of as either a box or an egg with respect to how the light source works across a portrait. This helps simplify studying a portrait before painting.
The “Staircase” explained how light creates parallel planes of tones across a portrait, like a staircase.
Types of shadows were discussed next. At the art academy Ignat had attended, students were required to render spheres and cylinders to understand basics of light source and shadow. I was relieved to have the terms clarified:
Core Shadow: where the shadow begins
Cast Shadow: where the shadow ends
Half Tone: all the tones and their transitions, found in the light portion of the subject.
Highlight: the light source as it appears on the subject.
Reflective light: the light from adjacent surfaces reflecting back on the subject.
With his instructional posters, Ignat further explained how the types of shadows appear across the face and body and argued convincingly that tone is senior to color.
We enjoyed hearing about his experience in an art class where the art instructor had the model wear a woman’s stocking over her head so students could focus on seeing blocks of tones rather than the details. He brought home the point that tones define the structure of the face by reminding us that if we see someone from a distance, we will recognize him or her not by their details, but by the structure of their face as defined by their facial tones.
With that, Ignat began the demo. He walked us through his drawing process. He first sketches a rough layout on paper. When ready, he sketches with a brush directly on the canvas. Burnt Umber was chosen today.
Tones were blocked in and shapes corrected.
Finally, color was layered and blended for a stunning finish.
Ignat would have continued refining the details, but wanted to give guests ample time to work on their own paintings. After a short break, guests set up and perched at easels or tables and got down to business. Ignat gave everyone his personal attention and assistance. The consensus was that Ignat’s decades of experience made portrait painting look deceptively simple. We all experienced how very difficult it really is to observe and paint the tones and planes of the face. Thankfully, Ignat agreed to return for more portrait painting workshops in the near future.To learn more about Ignat Ignatov, visit his website and Facebook page.
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I’ve been committed to continuing lifelong learning and inspiring creative thinking through art and music since 1989. I’d love to meet you! You’re welcome to chat with me on Zoom or stop by the studio. Just shoot me an email at Linda@pastimesinc.com and I’ll be glad to set up a mutually convenient time.
That section about the basics of light source and shadow is quite interesting. I’m sure your students will be glad to have him return for another portrait workshop. Great article and pictures! 🙂
Glad you liked. Indeed! Thanks for the kind words. :-))
As a retired engineer with a postgraduate degree, I know that this technique is sound. It was taught to me in a drafting class for making preliminary sketches of three-dimensional objects, like automobiles and machine parts. I was taught this in 1942 using the book “Engineering Drawing,” by Thomas French in my Freshman year at Ohio State University. See https://www.amazon.com/Engineering-Drawing-Thomas-French-Charles/dp/B000E5WHES . Naturally it was only meant for line drawings. The color and shading rendering was too advanced for me. In any case, I regard it it as a sound technique for artists.
Thank you for your detailed reply. Very interesting, indeed.