Painting Portrait Tips / Lots of information about how to paint a portrait
Develop your drawing skills.
In order to learn portrait painting properly, it is essential to develop your drawing skills. Actually that applies to all forms of realistic art. I had the good fortune to have had an excellent drawing training at a young age. However, I know that many of you do not.
Not always portraits. Lately I have not been accepting every portrait commission. I want to have more time to try other things, which I never had the opportunity to do. It is a new chapter for me. Continue reading “Not always portraits”
In this short portrait portrait painting from life, underpainting, demonstration video I only use raw umber.
If you have the opportunity to paint from observation you should do so as much as possible.
To begin with, I give the entire canvas a very thin wash of raw umber with standard painting medium.
Then, using a flat synthetic brush I put down the first contours. I determine where the eyes, nose and mouth are.
Continue reading “Portrait painting from life, underpainting”
Fellow artists meet with me in my studio every week. Several hours we draw or paint portrait from a live model. Continue reading “Our midweek portrait drawing session”
There ain´t no cure for drawing, making doodles every lost moment. Thoughtlessly drawing, that is what doodles sketches is about.
If there is no pencil and paper near the phone, I cannot have a long conversation. I know: Drawing is a disease.
“I draw like other people bite their nails” (Pablo Picasso)
Above one of my long-call telephone doodles.
Changing my habit: portrait drawing in charcoal.
As I mentioned earlier we get together every week to work from life. We ask people in the neighborhood to model. There will come a day when we shall have “done” half the village. This time I decided to work in charcoal and not in oils. I haven´t done this for ages and once again I’m surprised how much I enjoy this. (1,5 hour session)
I used Winsor & Newton Artist’s charcoal, thin and medium, Fabriano drawing paper 120g / m2 – 24 x 32 cm, Faber-Castell Art Eraser (kneaded rubber eraser) and some brushes for blending.