Painting Hands.

Gotta hand it to me. I love painting hands.
Close up
By Johanna Spinks

This was a fun portrait commission to work on,  a more casual sketchy kind of portrait, which is what the client wanted for  a surprise birthday gift. When the client said his girlfriend loved sparkle and bling, I knew it was time to get the gold leaf out. I was working to a tight deadline for the client, total painting time two days. No room for errors.

The hand was important to the client and it is my favorite part. I loved her glittery nails.  See close-up above. Hands tell as much about the portrait sitter as the face and need close attention. People seem to have trouble painting hands. I love painting them. Structure, structure. Philip Delaszlo was my favorite hand painter. www.philipdelaszloarchivetrust.com I study his work a lot.

Portrait Commission
By Johanna Spinks
Oil and Gold Leaf
22 x 28

The start