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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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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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.
All done.
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Great Resource on Portrait Drawing
Realistic Pencil Portrait Mastery Home Study Course
This is beyond doubt one of the best painting tutorials I have ever seen. Thank you for bringing this to us.
Joyce
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
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.
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
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
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
marvellous
‘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
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.
I have always like Monet very much.
just saying thanks for the tutorial. and for defining terms and describing techniques.
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
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.
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
At last I have learnt what scumble means!
A wonderful tutorial. Thank you for sharing.
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!…
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!
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.
That has been the most helpfull lesson i have ever had , this is my first painting in 20 years and I thank you again.