A commission challenge - a double portrait

I found myself still hooked on my failed portrait adventure. Perhaps it was just a warm up because its not part of my normal painting routine - I guess if I did commission work it might be. Every once in awhile I get on the train but it never holds my interest for long. My failed painting revolved around not getting one of the subjects right; not paint quality.  I chose a reference that really flattered my subject but maybe too much. I failed to catch his essence. I could have solved the problem by adding his glasses, but, I noticed he almost always removed them for a photo. I never expected it to be a masterpiece either. At best, it would to be a Kodak moment type of painting....also too small, no room to paint.

I decided to call in the the big guns; watched a bit of Leffel on video.....actually quite a bit.  If I was going to do this I wanted a good learning curve; mind you, this is no longer a commission, this guy's mug has become a challenge. Plus I don't take failure well.

My reference, I like the setup - notice his hands and his glasses - my favorite part of this photo

 #879 Denny and Tommy 20x24 oil on linen (12-27-13)

(no stage photos)

My original plan was to do the whole shot, but my 20x24 canvas was much too small. I started with the guy on the right, Tommy, he's the one giving me a fit! This was to be a 2-session painting (one day per mug) however I started late on my 1st day and rubbed out my results which gave me a stained canvas (not my norm). 

  My absolute favorite passage

The reality is, photos and not always good photos, are part of the this game....A perfect photo could perhaps make a perfect painting, but those are few and far between. I prefer the mundane shot that gives me information and leaves the rest to my own devises. But when we tackle a face...we are expected to catch an absolute likeness. Our nature is to become focused on it and find ourselves over copying our reference...few have enough detail or the right lighting to do it so it becomes flat and labored; not dimensional as it would be if painted from life...as an artist, the trick to working with photos is to imagine it is, and paint it though it were.

Taking Leffel's advice I made a good painting my 1st priority; if I did, the rest would follow.......good advice!

Later....