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Home » Portrait Painting Demonstration – Gwyneth – Part 5
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Portrait Painting Demonstration – Gwyneth – Part 5

October 2, 2008 by Ralph S 20 Comments

Click Images For Larger Views

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This is the time to really nail the likeness. Sometimes I tape my reference photo next to the area I’m painting.

Gwyneth Demo 21

However, you must be careful with tape on the surface of the painting. The surface must be dry. I stick the tape to material first before resticking it to the canvas in order to reduce the adhesion. I do not leave tape sticking to the surface of a painting when I leave the easel.

I begin by adding a glaze. I use raw umber, raw sienna, and burnt umber either alone or in combination – however I can to begin to create the sitter’s skin tone. I may use a thin glaze of raw umber to draw details
(like eyelids) and enhance the form (above).

Gwyneth Demo 22

I glaze in the skintones very slowly and thinly. I let each layer dry before beginning the next.

I brush color into the cheeks and begin to define eye and hair color.

Note that if this was a woman of color I would begin with a darker value of skintone in the underpainting – the rest is exactly the same.

Gwyneth Demo 23

I am adding color slowly in layers of glazes. Then I am painting tiny bits of Titanium White + Yellow Ochre Pale into the wet glazes to build light.

Light is thick and opaque.

Shadow is thin and transparent.

Gwyneth Demo 24

I am mindful of the Old Master’s technique of color banding:

Yellow Ochre Pale is added to the forehead.

Reds (Indian Red and/or Alizarin Crimson Permanent) are added to the area from the eyebrow line to the chin.

A cool blue (French Ultramarine) is added to the neck and chest.

A glaze is a lot of medium (I use Liquin) with a little bit of transparent color. It will look a lot like pale stained glass.

Gwyneth Demo 25\

Sometimes I scumble a color on the face to even out the tones and add luminosity. A scumble is a whole lot of medium (Liquin) with a little bit of opaque color (like Titanium White). It often looks like watered down milk.

After the underpainting in white, all of my layers are transparent or translucent. I already had a likeness so I didn’t want to lose it.

As I am doing the final glazes and scumbles on the face and hands, I am glazing other colors in the painting to enrich the colors.

Note that because of my earth palette, I don’t use the color “blue.”  Instead I use Ivory Black + Titanium White to make the color blue. If at the end I want to intensify that color I can add a blue glaze if necessary.

Gwyneth Demo 26

All done.

<< Gwyneth Demo Part 4


Karin Wells Signature Grab a cup of virtual coffee and stop by my Painting Studio to see what’s happening. Also come visit my Portrait & Landscape Galleries.

Great Resource on Portrait Drawing

Realistic Pencil Portrait Mastery Home Study Course

Filed Under: Oil Painting, Portrait Painting & Drawing

Comments

  1. Joyce says

    October 3, 2008 at 2:48 pm

    This is beyond doubt one of the best painting tutorials I have ever seen. Thank you for bringing this to us.
    Joyce

  2. rserpe says

    October 3, 2008 at 3:00 pm

    You are most welcome Joyce!

    But the thanks all go to Karin for sharing this demo with us.

    Please be sure to visit her site and send her a thank you as well.

    Enjoy!

    – Ralph

  3. ADITYA says

    October 4, 2008 at 9:17 am

    its one of the most helping and aspiring tutorial i ever seen.
    best wisheshes to artist for this good piece
    and many many THANKS to share with all world.

  4. Leona Palski says

    October 4, 2008 at 12:01 pm

    Thank you so much for this tutorial! I am learning to do portraits. I am practicing with a portrait of my baby granddaughter. I paint in Acrylics and am self-taught. I am hoping to paint in oils in the future when more time is available.
    Thanks again and have a great day! Leona

  5. Armando S. Valdes says

    November 16, 2008 at 2:02 am

    Thank you Karin, for such an inspirational tutorial. The quality of your work is outstanding. I googled your name and went to your site. It was pure joy to view your work, and I will go back to it to enjoy your work again and again. You have such an eye for reality mixed with an imagination and power. Your historical portraits (‘painted after’) are fabulous, as well as the originals in your style. Thank you again, Armando

  6. Jim Brock says

    July 18, 2009 at 3:20 pm

    In the early 90’s I learned to paint the way you do from Dick Turner in Houston. I had to quit because of job demands. I am now retired and I paint all day long. This method of building up glazes is not a popular method. So I am very happy to discover your demo. Have you published a book that I may buy?

    Thanx,

    Jim Brock

  7. cvramana says

    July 19, 2009 at 3:52 pm

    marvellous

  8. Bob Whiting says

    August 23, 2009 at 11:47 pm

    ‘Brilliant’ comes to my mind, I wish I could do half as well. I’ve just started portrait pencil drawing, it’s not as easy as some people think. U.K

  9. Sienna says

    December 9, 2009 at 3:49 am

    This is like one of the best tutorials I’ve seen so far, and you even gave us the combinations of colours you use, unlike other tutorials. For some reason I find the background really enchanting, the colours are wonderful and are so smooth.

  10. Carmen Leon says

    December 9, 2009 at 8:51 pm

    I have always like Monet very much.

  11. jen says

    January 23, 2010 at 5:34 pm

    just saying thanks for the tutorial. and for defining terms and describing techniques.

  12. brian says

    February 18, 2010 at 5:54 pm

    thanks for that, I have put off getting back into it and i dont know why, i know deep down i should and am now starting again – i did one portrait for my mother of her father [first one ever ] then i stopped i am determined to keep going till i get to where i feel i’ve “clicked” so your skill has motivated me “ta” ………. brian

  13. sharon Grant says

    May 13, 2010 at 6:19 pm

    I am doing a painting with three children in it and I am not a portrait artist.
    I googled, and picked your demonstration. Thank you it was very good, I appreciated it.

  14. AL Rawlinson says

    June 23, 2010 at 1:59 pm

    Started looking for a tutorial on portrait painting in oil, and came across this excellent and informative set of lessons. I have learned a lot just skimming through the pages!

    Thanks a million, and particularly for firing me up for the next stages in my painting!

    God Bless You

  15. Anonymous says

    November 30, 2010 at 4:37 am

    At last I have learnt what scumble means!

  16. lizzie says

    January 26, 2011 at 3:49 pm

    A wonderful tutorial. Thank you for sharing.

  17. Jackie says

    April 14, 2011 at 1:57 am

    Wow.. an amazing painting and very very interesting technique!.. I’ll definitely be trying them out,your skillful eye and talent is so inspiring… Thanks so much for the tutorial!…

  18. Malli.K says

    September 5, 2011 at 4:58 am

    I just did my first painting in acrylics… it’s an absolute mess. Looking at this tutorial, I don’t want to even count the miles to go. Wonderful!

  19. Astrid says

    October 19, 2011 at 3:44 pm

    Excellent tutorial! I´ve done watercolours for a long time but would like to dabble a bit in acrylics and oils again. Thank you so much for sharing! Very useful indeed.

  20. Gary smith says

    December 24, 2011 at 3:18 am

    That has been the most helpfull lesson i have ever had , this is my first painting in 20 years and I thank you again.

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