Tanner

This is an 11x14 oil painting of my nephew, Tanner when he was about 2 years old. Considering most of my subjects are adult females, I found this painting to be a little more challenging than usual. As you know, a child's facial structure and proportions are vastly different than that of an adults. As a general rule, children's eyes and foreheads are much larger than their grown counter-parts. Also, children lack distinct skeletal structure and muscle tone, resulting in an overall rounder, softer face. The image on the right was my first attempt at this painting. Needless to say, I was not satisfied with the way the proportions looked. With a little reworking like widening the eyes, heightening the forehead and softening the harsh brushwork on the cheeks, I think the outcome is much more agreeable.