Painting eye glasses

[Chris Saper]

Dear Mary,

I have found that I am happier,when working from photo resources, if I take photos of the subject with and without the glasses. If you don't have the "no-glasses" image in hand it can be very hard to see that you're trying to paint. If prescription are very strong, either near- or far-sighted, the size of the eyes and edge of the face can be fairly distorted. If there were a great amount of distortion, I would probably point this out to the client, and ask if there was a preference...as it could affect the perception of the subject's likeness.

To date I have had best luck in painting the entire face, using the "no-glasses" reference, and painting the glasses at the very end, just a few strokes to sit on top of the surface.

I agree that that not much information is necessary to depict the glasses; lost edges work well for many types of frames. If you show a bit of glare, be sure it is not in a place that obscures the eye. Also the shadows that are cast on the skin generally need to be shown lighter in value that the photo would suggest. Their placement can be a good visual clue to the shape of the forms making up the face.

Hope all is well!
Chris