TIM BAKER

Sometimes I struggle in thes portraits sessions to either get a likeness or do the model justice – here it was both. I think I feel more pressure when it’s someone I want to do a good job and I find them interesting, quite often means I do the opposite. Some of these are not bad, good portraits, but not of the subject! Someone else out there…not them.

The session was the most busiest I’ve ever seen it – many new people turned up, it was mad but exciting.

The first piece is a case in point, the 3rd version, the first two so bad I won’t post them here…and I got angry. I like it more because you can feel that energy and anger. Still doesn’t look like the model though! It’s close, but I struggled with making the eyes too big and the bit around the forehead and cheeks. But again, a lot closer than the first two. As always, I get more accurate the faster I work and less I care. It’s weird.

I did a free watercolour, again a nice portrait but not who was in front of me. I do make it hard doing watercolour there, because of the changing disco lighting. I do like the mood of this one, even though it’s more of a caricature or cartoon than totally realistic.

Of course I did a paint stick piece (well ‘Studio Gel Sticks’ but a bit like slapping a adult cover on Harry Potter, they are the kid’s paints rebranded and repackaged). Yet I did it totally the wrong way around, these pieces should be the ones I do in 10-15 minutes, but I did this on the long 30 minute ending pose. I think as a result I overworked it somewhat. Like the skin tone in the arm though.

And then the best piece – which paradoxically was the first. See what I mean about going backwards? This was a fountain pen piece – the ever trusty Evergood, although the second one. I bought a spare because the first one had a internal ink leak, and the pressure bar rusted away. You can get modern replacements but they didn’t seem to totally fit as well. So I moved the old nib into the new pen housing.

This was definitely the best likeness and the best work of the night. As I said, faster is better for me, whereas everyone else in the session moans if it’s a 10 or 15 minute pose, and want 20-25-30 minutes. If I am doing watercolour or slower mediums like dip pen, that’s great. But I work fast, even in a ‘slow’ medium like fountain pen so I find myself overworking and ruining the piece – usually the eyes or hands, right at the end!