Portrait Painting
Author: Grace Palce
Author: Grace Palce
As an oil painter, there will come a time that you will be
asked to create a portrait. Or perhaps, you have always wanted
to be known as a portraitist. There are many reasons why
portraits are painted, most of which pertains to the sitter,
the person whose portrait you will paint. The sitter would
probably want to establish a public image and you, as the
artist, would do well to emphasize the status, looks, and
personality.
A portrait is also meant to explore the qualities of the sitter
that normally would not show in his or her day to day
activities. And a portrait is made to have a souvenir of a
loved one, who is either absent or dead.
There is no correct way to do a portrait. And there is no
fool-proof technique that will assure the painter to produce a
likeness to the sitter. There are, however, several things to
keep in mind when painting a portrait.
Most portraitists feel comfortable in putting oil to canvass
after they have done several sketches of the sitter. Drawing
the sketches will help you understand the things you see and
how to translate them into two-dimensional lines.
Sometimes, you will find easy strokes and sometimes you will
discover that finding that right line is difficult.
Nevertheless, when you move the final canvass, remember to use
chalks for broad sketches and use pencils for detailed
sketches.
Normally, two thirds of the canvass is the maximum limit that
the subject may cover. But you must not make your subject too
small that there would be many wide spaces you would be
hard-pressed to fill in.
Make sure that the source of light will fall on the sitter's
face in such a way that light and shadows bestow strength and
solidity to the face. As much as possible, avoid drawing the
full face. Instead, focus on the expressive details, such as
the eye folds and the mouth.
Similar to other oil paintings, you must paint the shadows
first, in order to establish a broad structure. The nose is the
ideal spot to begin. Shadows should have similar colors with the
background. In areas where a shadow and light meet, include a
touch of color. If you believe that the face lacks structure,
deepen the shadows. To bring cheeks and chin forward, paint in
warm colors.
While you give attention to the background, you must also
remember that the backgrounds should not be more prominent than
the subject. Use relatively neutral hues.
About The Author: Grace Palce is writing articles for direct
portrait, a very fast and easy painting from photo service
http://www.directportrait.com/ Specializing in portrait
painting http://www.directportrait.com/family-portrait.php
asked to create a portrait. Or perhaps, you have always wanted
to be known as a portraitist. There are many reasons why
portraits are painted, most of which pertains to the sitter,
the person whose portrait you will paint. The sitter would
probably want to establish a public image and you, as the
artist, would do well to emphasize the status, looks, and
personality.
A portrait is also meant to explore the qualities of the sitter
that normally would not show in his or her day to day
activities. And a portrait is made to have a souvenir of a
loved one, who is either absent or dead.
There is no correct way to do a portrait. And there is no
fool-proof technique that will assure the painter to produce a
likeness to the sitter. There are, however, several things to
keep in mind when painting a portrait.
Most portraitists feel comfortable in putting oil to canvass
after they have done several sketches of the sitter. Drawing
the sketches will help you understand the things you see and
how to translate them into two-dimensional lines.
Sometimes, you will find easy strokes and sometimes you will
discover that finding that right line is difficult.
Nevertheless, when you move the final canvass, remember to use
chalks for broad sketches and use pencils for detailed
sketches.
Normally, two thirds of the canvass is the maximum limit that
the subject may cover. But you must not make your subject too
small that there would be many wide spaces you would be
hard-pressed to fill in.
Make sure that the source of light will fall on the sitter's
face in such a way that light and shadows bestow strength and
solidity to the face. As much as possible, avoid drawing the
full face. Instead, focus on the expressive details, such as
the eye folds and the mouth.
Similar to other oil paintings, you must paint the shadows
first, in order to establish a broad structure. The nose is the
ideal spot to begin. Shadows should have similar colors with the
background. In areas where a shadow and light meet, include a
touch of color. If you believe that the face lacks structure,
deepen the shadows. To bring cheeks and chin forward, paint in
warm colors.
While you give attention to the background, you must also
remember that the backgrounds should not be more prominent than
the subject. Use relatively neutral hues.
About The Author: Grace Palce is writing articles for direct
portrait, a very fast and easy painting from photo service
http://www.directportrait.com/ Specializing in portrait
painting http://www.directportrait.com/family-portrait.php
