Paint Successful Portraits of Children

Although still a young man, Andrew Manry Kenyon is one of the most admired artists painting portraits of children today. The artist has a long list of satisfied clients and dozens more waiting for him to complete the portraits they commissioned of their beloved children.

The key to Kenyon's success is that he is a thoroughly likeable, hard- working, talented, and reliable artist. Agents and clients enjoy working with Kenyon because he understands their needs and concerns, he captures an accurate likeness of children on their best day, and he conducts himself in a professional and personable manner.

All this didn't just happen by chance. Kenyon has worked hard to establish himself in the competitive field of portraiture. He also had the advantage of being the son of Ann Manry Kenyon, a highly admired artist whose oil and watercolor portraits put her at the pinnacle of the profession. "Mom has been a great teacher and supporter," Andrew says. "She still offers me helpful advice about avoiding problems and taking my paintings to a higher level."

Kenyon appreciates the help he has received throughout his career and is anxious to share the benefit of his experience with other artists. Here are some portrait-painting tips he offers to help overcome challenges and enrich the experience for both the painter and the client.



Understand What Clients Want

"People usually commission a portrait after seeing examples of an artist's work and having an idea of what they want," Kenyon explains. "It's important for artists to keep in mind why the client decided to commission a portrait and why they were chosen to receive the commission. If the clients were most impressed with a specific medium or style represented in the artist's portfolio, then that's probably what they'll expect. If the painting is to join a group of family portraits, commemorate a special event, or hang in a specific room in a home, those factors should also be considered.

"It's also important to have an initial discussion with the clients about their expectations, concerns, or desires," Kenyon adds. "And if an agent is involved, his or her advice should also be solicited. The best way to avoid problems is for everyone to have a clear understanding of the commission before the artist begins painting."



Find the Best Pose

"With almost all commissions, it is best to sketch or photograph subjects in their home or office so they are as comfortable as possible," Kenyon recommends. "That's especially important with children who might become shy or nervous in the unfamiliar environment of an artist's studio. They are more likely to be themselves in their own home with their mother or father close at hand.

"Most artists who paint portraits of children work from photographs because it is very difficult to have them pose for long periods of time," Kenyon continues. "I take digital photographs with a Canon EOS Rebel camera, which allows me to immediately review the shots and make a rough evaluation of the quality of the image. I always assume the first few photographs will be unusable warm-up shots because children tend to take stiff, uncharacteristic poses at first. After they become comfortable and relaxed, the poses and expressions become more appealing. I avoid having them stand facing the camera directly because that can seem almost militaristic. Instead, I have them turn their bodies slightly to the left or right and then turn their heads to look directly at the camera.

"In most cases I don't pay any attention to the things that surround the subject because I don't expect to add the location to the painting," Kenyon says. "If the client has commissioned me to paint the child in a specific room, garden, or environment I will take separate shots of the background under the same lighting conditions and work from those in the studio. It's too much to expect that one photograph would capture both the child and the landscape under the best conditions."



Light the Figure Properly

"I find that outdoor sunlight provides the best lighting for children, but I always carry lights with me to a photo session in case the weather turns overcast or rainy," Kenyon explains. "The ideal light is one that is behind and just above the shoulder of the subject?a low morning or afternoon light (before 10 a.m. or after 2 p.m.)?hitting the back of the child's head and spilling down one side. I ask one of the parents or an older child to hold a reflector that catches the light and bounces it back on the child's face to eliminate any harsh cast shadows, bring out the features, and highlight the eyes.

"If I am forced to work with artificial lights, I position them from the same direction and angle as I would using morning sunlight, and I have someone hold a reflector for the same reasons I use one outside," Kenyon adds. "I avoid having the light come from directly above because it can make a child look older and more severe. I might want those kinds of shadows on an adult male to lend dignity and strength to the portrait, but those are not qualities that flatter a young child's appearance."



Compose the Best Shots

"As soon as I am finished taking photographs, I load them into my laptop computer and show the best ones to the client," Kenyon says. "At first we review all the photographs and comment on them, then we eliminate those we don't think have potential and bring all the photographs up on the computer screen at one time to view one against another, eventually narrowing the field down to the very best one.

"In some cases there is one perfect photograph, but in many cases we like the way the body is positioned in one and how the head and face appear in another," Kenyon adds. "That's especially true when I've photographed two or three children together because it never happens that all of them are looking their best in one photograph. I select the best elements and develop a composite image using Photoshop software, then I print that out if the client has a good quality computer printer. If not, I will mail it to them.

"At that point I talk to the client about the adjustments I expect to make when I get to my studio to work on the painting," Kenyon explains. "For example, sometimes sunlight coming from behind a child's head will cause an ear to be bright red, and I have to tone that down; or I anticipate problems with the clothing, the hair, or the highlight on the nose and will have to deal with that when I paint the portrait."



Get the Mother's Approval

"In most situations I work directly with a child's mother, so I make sure she is confident in my plans for the portrait before I leave her home," Kenyon says. "She always has the final say about the portrait, but I try to guide her when I think she is not likely to be happy with something she has requested. For example, I caution against having the child smile broadly enough to show his or her teeth; and I advise her against stylish clothing or accessories that will date the portrait and make it inconsistent with those of other family members."



Build Up Pastels and Oils

Once back in his Florida studio, Kenyon usually begins his pastel portraits by drawing the subject on an 18"-x-22" sheet of Canson Mi-Teintes Moonstone colored paper using a Derwent No. 78B green umber pencil or a No. 79D umber pastel pencil. "I draw the head and body freehand while looking at 8"-x-10" color prints of the composite photograph," he describes. "I then start working on the face of the subject because that's the most critical part of the painting."

Kenyon relies on Sennelier soft pastels for most of the painting, but he also uses some Rembrandt and Unison pastels to build up the local colors in the flesh and clothing of his subject. "My mother gave me some helpful advice about incorporating colors from the hair and face in the child's body and clothing to unify the painting," Kenyon recalls. "She also pointed out that warm colors are usually better for a portrait than cool ones because they create more of a sense of life and vitality."

Kenyon's procedures are quite similar when painting portraits in oil in that he always starts by drawing and painting the head. One key difference, however, is that he works on the background area surrounding the head. "It would be difficult to have smooth transitions between the head and background if each was painted separately and the colors were allowed to dry thoroughly."

The palette of oil colors Kenyon uses in creating his portraits includes gold ochre, terra rosa, a combination of titanium white and flake white, yellow ochre, raw sienna, viridian green, oxide of chromium, yellow pale, cadmium red light, cadmium red, Thalo red rose, French ultramarine blue, cerulean blue hue, cadmium orange, burnt sienna, burnt umber, and raw umber.



Fill in the White Paper or Canvas

When painting a head-and-shoulder portrait in pastel, Kenyon often allows the color of the paper to remain visible. If the pastel portrait is done on Fredrix canvas, however, he will carry the pigment to the edges of the support. "The white canvas is just too startling to leave alone," he says. "The strokes of the pastel are often more gestured outside of the face as they extend to the edge of the canvas."

Similarly, Kenyon paints oil color over the entire white canvas, allowing the brushwork to be looser and more gestural away from the face. "My clients really like a painterly look around the peripheral areas, but not in the face," he explains.



Make the Face the Most Important

It goes without saying that the most important part of a pastel or oil portrait is the face and the degree to which it captures the appearance and personality of the subject. "After I place the outline of the figure on the paper or canvas, I immediately begin working on the eyes, nose, mouth, and hair," Kenyon explains. "That might only represent 20 percent of the total amount of work involved in the commission, but it is 100 percent of what matters most to the client. If I get that right, the rest seems to fall into place."



Give Advice on Framing

Portraits are sold unframed, but most professionals either advise their clients on the most appropriate way to frame their paintings or they actually purchase the frame for them. "Many clients prefer to receive the portrait ready to hang in their home, and they are happy to pay me to facilitate arrangements with the framers I use on a regular basis," Kenyon says. "I will e-mail samples of the frames I like and recommend the local framer I have worked with for years, but the decision is up to the client."

Kenyon prefers to deliver his framed portraits in person, but if that isn't possible he will ship the painting after making final adjustments. "I send an 8"-x-10" photograph after I've finished a portrait and offer to make any adjustments the client wants," he explains. "I don't e-mail that image because there are likely to be color distortions on the client's computer screen or printer. Once I've discussed their changes and have made them, I ship the artwork or deliver it to their house. Many of my clients live in the same general area of the country, so I make several trips during the year to deliver completed commissions, make adjustments when necessary, and photograph new clients. It usually takes me nine months to a year to complete a commission from the time of the initial discussions and a signed contract to the delivery of the portrait."



M. Stephen Doherty is the editor-in-chief of American Artist.




About the Artist
Andrew Manry Kenyon earned a B.A. degree from the University of North Florida, in Jacksonville, and has been a professional portrait painter for more than 10 years. He is represented by Portrait Brokers of America, in Birmingham, Alabama; Portraits South, in Raleigh, North Carolina; and The Portrait Source, in Henderson, North Carolina. He makes his home in St. Augustine, Florida, with his wife and three children. For more information on Kenyon, visit his website: www.andrewkenyonportraits.com.