Watercolor Portraits from Films

I present you a selection of live demos realized during one of my online courses.
All these portraits are from films, a great source of inspiration considering that a film production takes care of many aspects such as art direction, cinematography, decoration etc...
All these are fundamental elements when we create the set up for a good portrait session.

The first portrait is from the film Girl with a Pearl Earring, a wonderful work directed by Peter Webber, cinematography by Eduardo Serra.
This portrait is based on a still frame of the film starring Scarlett Johansson, here she is looking at the painter Johannes Vermeer while she is cleaning his studio and a wonderful light comes from the famous windows that are in almost every painting of the Flemish Master.
This project is both a tribute to one of my favorite painters of all times and the actress Scarlett Johansson.

This portrait of Hugh Jackman is taken from the film Les Misérables directed by Tom Hooper, cinematography by Danny Cohen.
Here Jean Valjean is desperate and full with anger, the class of this demo portrait was focused on the anatomy of the eye.

Another inspiring film is Caravaggio directed by Derek Jarman, cinematography by Gabriel Beristain.
This portrait is inspired by a still image that depicts a young Caravaggio feeling sick for intoxication.
Broad washes and bold brushstrokes create an impacting portrait where contrasts of lights and shadows, cold and warm colors are pushed to the limit.