Precision: Step 8
Here comes the clutch moment of the painting. I need the figure’s expression to show both concentration and pleased, subtle confidence. Most of this can be communicated in the eyes and mouth, since he is more or less completely at rest and has no reason to have a strong expression on his face. Of course, I also like the idea of having him wearing glasses, since glasses are a very clear and obvious reiteration of the theme of precision. This means that his eyes will be somewhat obscured through the lenses, and I’m taking advantage of the opportunity to include a mild distortion of his face through them, which is a fun optical effect to add a little interest.
The face, for working purposes, I treat as being divided into sections. The first is his forehead, bordered by his hair and the top of the frames of his glasses. The second is his glasses and eyes. And the third is everything under his glasses, including his nose and mouth. Thinking about approaching the face in this way is not only practical, allowing me to stop work before the whole face is finished if I happen to see the “Damon Alert” symbol suddenly being projected onto the clouds from city hall and have to hurry away, but also helps reduce the daunting feeling of having to get the whole face and expression just right in one fell swoop.
I more or less put in the basic dark areas first, add the midtones, and then zap the lighter parts of the face in last, with the knowledge that I’ll be going back over later with some semi-opaque glaze work to help blend things more smoothly and do some final, more subtle shaping of the features. I also make sure that the darkest tones of the eyes seen through the lenses are a little lighter than they would be normally, to help with that feeling that there is something between us and them, kind of like a very mild filter. The effect is subtle, but I think it helps.
