Tips and Techniques for creating a gem?lde vom foto or a portrait vom foto

Posted by juliabennet on June 28th, 2012

Many aspiring new artists have envisioned attempting to produce a gemälde vom foto; they simply don't know where to begin.  Trying to capture the physical aspects, beauty and characteristics of a human being on canvas can be a very difficult and time consuming task.  Creating an acceptable portrait vom foto requires paying a fair amount of attention to detail.  As the age old saying goes, "Practice makes perfect", and it will take a lot of practice to become comfortable and confident enough to perform this procedure for clients and customers. 

Prior to the invention of the camera, subjects were required to pose in a stationary position for long periods of time, while the artist constructed the masterpiece on canvas.  In the modern era artists have become more creative and adept at producing these types of art employing a method called gemälde vom foto, which allows them to recreate the image of a photo on canvas without ever having to meet the subject(s) physically.  A portrait vom foto can be completed with relative ease these days, a customer or client can simply submit the picture the want painted and wait for the results. 

Artists that are making their first attempt at producing a gemälde vom foto should concentrate on establishing a lighting effect, keeping shadows and light in high contrast.  While trying to figure out how to continue, concentrate and focus your attention on one area at a time, don't get distracted.  If you need to then cover the portion of the picture you are not currently working on.  Start the portrait vom foto by painting the dark areas thinly and the lighter areas with more consistency.

One of the biggest difficulties artists face when they are constructing a gemälde vom foto is the mixing of paint colors in order to produce the proper flesh tones for the subject being painted.  There is no proven method for performing this process, you will have to use the trial and error method, but be careful not to over compensate the mixture and deaden the overall aesthetic quality of the finished product.  Once you have a satisfactory flesh tone to apply to your portrait vom foto try and maintain the balance of the painting by repeating those colors where necessary.

Painting the hair of the subject is another area of difficulty when producing a gemälde vom foto.  View the area as a whole, instead of trying to paint each individual strand of hair.  Add lights and darks where appropriate to add the right detail and definition.  Learn to keep the background simple yet interesting, adding too much detail will cause the portrait vom foto to appear cluttered and busy instead of elegant and easy on the eyes.  Modify the flesh tone you have created with a mixture of black and white, almost a light grey, to use for the whites of the eyes as this will look more lifelike than attempting to use a basic white or off white paint.

There are a couple of different websites where artists can find useful information on how to complete their first gemälde vom foto project. Don't get upset or lose your patience with completing a portrait vom foto if it doesn't work out the first time, practice until you get comfortable with the process.