Karen Birt
The process of creating a commissioned portrait
Once you have decided to commission a portrait, the next step is to arrange a sitting. These usually take place in my studio in Sevenoaks, which is easy to find by road and conveniently close to Sevenoaks station.
Sitting for a portrait is easy, enjoyable and will give you a fascinating insight into the process by which the painting comes into being.
Two sittings are usually required, of about one and a half to two hours each.
The first sitting is all about tone: the three dimensional story of light and shade which will create the underlying form in the painting. I make a number of drawings in black and white on coloured paper, recording my observations of structure, drama, and most importantly, character and personality. I also take dozens of digital photographs, which will provide a reference for the detailed measurements of facial features. A half time break for coffee and biscuits is also an essential part of the process!
After you have gone, I will spend the next week creating a detailed underpainting in oil on the same canvas which will be the support for the finished painting. This is a fully worked composition bringing together all of the information I have gathered from the first sitting. It is worked in strong tones but a very restricted colour range of red, green and white.
The second sitting is all about colour. When you arrive, I will have several blank line drawings on paper already prepared, using the identical composition to that in the painting, and I will work into these with coloured pastels.
The final stage happens once the underpainting is dry. Again, I am alone in the studio. Over several days I will cover the dry underpainting with layers of oil colour, using the drawings from the second sitting as a map. The red, green and white underpainting will be covered but not obliterated because the strong lights and darks provide the underlying structure for the colour layers, just as the bony skeleton and muscles of the body provide a structure beneath the flesh.
The layering process creates a depth of colour and form that contributes to the powerful sense of presence I achieve in the finished portrait, which represents a true collaboration between artist and sitter.
