Jason Seiler’s process is all about pulling the light out of the darkness.
Jason’s technique is based on Dutch Masters oil painting techniques, even though this portrait is painted digitally. Once he establishes the composition and layout, he creates a tight accurate drawing that captured likeness and character. The painting process begins with a raw umber under painting, which helps to create the soft shadows on which he lays in thick layers of white to create the highlights.
Once happy with the under painting, Jason begins to block in the color. His approach isn’t, as he says, “to fill it in.” He looks for the right values and focuses on temperature and sees everything as shapes of color, which he captures with the correct brush strokes. Jason explains,”When you see the painting from a distance it looks realistic, but when you see it up close, you can see that it is an accumulation of abstract brushstrokes, that when added in the correct place, creates the illusion of a face.”
In closing, he says, “I’m deeply honored to have been asked to paint this portrait for Time magazine at such an important and historical time.”
