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| Sir John Leighton by James Gurney, black and white gouache, 3 x 3 inches |
Mr. Neal lit him with a two-source lighting scheme inspired by Anders Zorn (Swedish, 1860-1920). The lighting scheme produces a shadow core in the center of the form and often puts the eyes in shadow.
In the case of this Zorn, those dark accents in the face float in the middle of a sea of creamy white, the reverse of the usual tonal scheme of a portrait.
Watch a 15-second video clip of my sketch in context on my Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook page.
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Related posts:
Zorn's Two-Source LightingSplit lighting
4 comments:
To me, James, your 30 min. B&W gouache is fresher, more alive, and interesting than the 3 hr. (color) oil. Not a criticism but observation. There's much to be said for rapidity and quick decision-making - capturing but the necessary, simply. I've been to Zorn's museum/home in Mora, Sweden, a handful of times. His portraits are (simply) unbelievable!
Colonel, I agree. I think I probably take more chances and have more fun when the pressure is off. How lucky that you've been to the Zorn museum. His work is always a revelation.
This gouache is clearly more spontaneous than the oil study, but I see a comparison between the two to be a matter of "apples and oranges". If I didn't know better, I wouldn't guess that the oil was the product of a public demo; I would guess that it took longer than the gouache (the medium would imply that), but to me both are interesting and fresh-looking.
I sketched Sir John Leighton also that day, in pen and ink, because I felt I just wanted to sketch somebody! It was a pleasure meeting you and Jeanette!
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