From my one of my last blogs, I started to tell the story of painting the children portraits in oil of the Dohring family’s two sets of twins. After painting the girls, the boys got their turns.They had their own brand of whimsey. (My cousin, Norman Rockwell, could have made a Rockwellian story about these boys, I think.) Once again I noticed that in person I could not tell twins apart, yet later when I looked at the photos, they were clearly different.
This time my husband, Gerry Chromoy, didn’t want to miss out on the fun so he took over the photography for me, which was fantastic. Right out the gates we could see—these boys have energy! When they showed us their trampoline and wanted to demonstrate tricks, we took the cue. We changed from being directors to admiring spectators. And what a show they gave us in their tuxedo shirts and pants!
After that, they were much more willing to pose calmly for us. (A good tip for working with children—wear them out—just enough—before making them “submit” to a photoshoot.) Once again, we let them adapt themselves to a few different settings while we photographed them. We followed their leads and also made suggestions and then followed their leads again. You have to let a person express his own personality to look relaxed and natural. The cut and print (remember this is the reference photo which I looked at to draw and paint actual children portraits in oil) took place in front of a big black shiny trailer which was used for horses… or was it motorcycles??
Here’s what the mother said: “Every time I look at this and other portraits you have done for me I feel as if I am with my children at those young ages again. It is such a wonderful moment for me each and every time. My children also have special feelings for their portraits and will for the rest of their lives. Thank you for this terrific and aesthetic representation of my fond memories.”
By the way, the last child of the Dohrings that I painted was their first born. The big brother to all these twins. He was a dream to work with, probably because he was older and is a natural actor. Good for Hollywood—he keeps very busy there.
Don’t forget to let us take your photographs for references for a great, original children portraits in oil!
Call me at 727-442-5553. Email me at info101@rockwellportraits.com. Visit my children’s gallery! And, stay tuned for more stories from… The Rockwell Portrait Artist!
Related Posts:
- Custom Oil Portrait: Mother & Child
- Children Oil Portraits: Beach Buddies
- Children Oil Portraits: The Skater
- Children Oil Portraits: The Trampoline Twins
- Portrait Oil Painting Technique Salutes Masters
- Children Oil Portraits: Two Little Angels
- Children Oil Portraits: Is there a best age to portrait children?
- Children Oil Portraits for Mother’s Day
- Portrait Oil Painting in Brown and White Tones