Portrait Of An Hero

[Rezbar]

This is my second try to woodburn a portait taken from a painting. All comments are welcomed.
This portrait represents First Lieutenant Paolo Solaroli of Briona. He served in my Regiment 'Cavalleggeri di Lodi'. He died heroically fighting in Libya near Tripoli during the Italian-Turkish war on October 26th, 1911. For his gallantry, he was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal for Military Valour. It is the highest military decoration in Italy, similar to the Medal of Honour in the USA or the Victoria Cross in the UK. At the four corners, I added (from top left clockwise), his colonial helmet, the crest of the Regiment, two palm-trees symbolizng the oasis where he died and the headgear badge, the cornet typical of all light troops such as Cavalleggeri (Light Cavalrymen).

[Irish]

If it were me .... I would darken the pupil areas of the eyes to as dark as your background spotting. The pupils are the darkest point in the face, followed by the inside of the nostrils. By re-burning those areas you will increase the drama in the face.

I also would not hesitate to turn the temp setting down some and add more background dotting around the face outlines to give the face a firm finishing line. A mid-tone burn would fill in around the black background spots to 'push' the face forward in the design.

Now ... you shading in the eyes, eye lid areas, and up to the eye brow is just fantastic!!! And I love the shading in the roll of the upper ear ... Very Nice!

It's wonderful to have the stories - either family legend or historic notes - to complement this burning. If it were me I would print a copy of that story and secure it to the back of the board. Mike, my hubbie, and I have a series of 1830 - 1890 photos of our ancestors. We wrote all the information we had on the individuals on the cardboard backing for the frame. In 50 years when my grandchild may be rooting through the attic and come across those photos they will know who the people are.

Susan

[Winterkoning]

A fitting tribute and well executed.............Well done

Kind Regards Mike The Netherlands

[Rezbar]

Thank you Susan for your interesting comments. I will try to follow your tips. Dino

[tomrsey]

Very nice Dino. I am just starting woodburning and haven't tried a portrait yet. I thought yours was very good, and Susan's comments were interesting and instructive.