Portrait of Shad – Oil on Panel, 12″x16″ © 2014 Jeremy C. Sparks
I struggled with the hue selection for the clothing. The rest of the painting really came together quickly but for some reason I just couldn’t get a hue and value that I liked for the sweater and t-shirt. I’m happy with how it finally turned out.
The white t-shirt might seem like a bland choice, but I remembered Martha Erlebacher saying that putting something white next to the face in a portrait gives a nice effect. Basically it makes all of the lightest tones in the skin look much more chromatic and she argued that was one of the reasons why 17th and 18th C. portraits (the ones with the dark clothing and the big white collars) look so good.
