Portrait Painting: A Step-By-Step Guide

Portrait painting has been an integral part of art history, dating back to ancient civilizations. It is a key skill for any artist to master. With the right preparation, drawing skills, and understanding of the subject, you can create elegant portraits. This includes choosing the right canvas size, lighting, and colours, as well as blocking in shapes and shadows. You can use a range of tools, from pencils to oils, and even projectors, to help you get the right proportions and skin tones. The more you practice, the better you'll become at painting portraits.

Prepping and selecting a subject

Selecting a Subject

Choosing a subject for your portrait involves considering various factors, such as the person's personality, interests, characteristics, and the context in which the portrait will be displayed. Reflect on how these aspects can influence the concept and theme of your artwork. For instance, if the portrait is intended for a business setting, portraying a sense of professionalism and formality may be important.

Understanding Your Subject

Once you have selected your subject, take time to understand them better. Research their background, interests, and achievements, and unique characteristics. This knowledge will help you convey their personality and tell their story through your portrait. It adds depth and accuracy to your artwork, making it more than just a visual representation.

Reference Materials and Photography

Gather reference materials by taking photographs of your subject from different angles and capturing a range of expressions. It is preferable to take your own photographs whenever possible so you can control the lighting and composition. Natural light, either outdoors or through a window, often works best. However, a spotlight or lamp can also be effective. Ensure your photos have a good balance of light and shadow to add dimensionality to your portrait. Avoid using a flash, as it can flatten the image and wash out colours.

Prepping Your Canvas

Before beginning to paint, prepare your canvas by cropping your reference image to match its size. This helps in judging shapes and tones accurately. You can also block in a simple background colour to complement your subject. If you're unhappy with the background colour, simply wipe it off and experiment with different shades.

Sketching and Planning Composition

Sketching is an essential part of the prepping process. You can draw directly on the canvas with a pencil or thin paint or create a detailed sketch on separate paper and then transfer it. Think in shapes rather than lines, and mark the areas where shadows and highlights will fall. This will guide your painting process and help you capture the three-dimensional form of your subject.

Drawing and sketching

Step 1: Choose Your Medium

Select a medium that you are comfortable with, such as graphite pencil, charcoal, coloured pencils, or even your finger on sand. The choice of medium is a personal preference and does not change the underlying drawing principles.

Step 2: Understand Constructive Drawing Principles

Before you begin, it is essential to grasp the constructive drawing principles, rules of perspective, head proportions, and anatomy. These are the "fundamental stones" of proficient drawing. Avoid relying solely on tricks, like drawing circles, as they may not provide a deep understanding of the subject.

Step 3: Set Up Your Workspace

If you are drawing yourself, use a piece of paper larger than your head so that your drawing is to scale. Ensure you have good lighting, especially if you are working from a mirror. If you are right-handed, the light source should be on your left side and slightly above you.

Step 4: Start with the Eyes

Begin by studying one of your eyes. Observe the relationship between the upper and lower lids, the presence of any prominent folds, and the shape and thickness of the eyebrows. Lightly sketch an oval that approximates the shape of your eye. From there, gradually sketch outwards, including the head and neck, always comparing proportions and measuring carefully.

Step 5: Understand the Universal Proportions of the Face

The eye line, or the horizontal line created by the eyes, divides the height of the head in half. This line is usually below the eyebrow line. The eye line can tilt or curve depending on the angle of the portrait. Mark the central line of symmetry of the head and the connection point of the neck to the shoulders.

Step 6: Mark Key Facial Features

Using your understanding of anatomy, mark the positions and proportions of the eyeballs, nose, mouth, and other key features. This step requires careful analysis and an understanding of the underlying skull structure.

Step 7: Refine Details

Once you have the basic structure in place, continue to refine the details. This may include adding tonal rendering in layers, further defining the features, and enhancing the overall composition.

Remember, the most important aspect of drawing and sketching is to understand what you are drawing, not merely copying what you see. Practice and patience are key to mastering portrait drawing.

Choosing a colour palette

When painting with oils, the refractive index of linseed oil will affect the transparency of your paint over time. You can use linseed oil to increase the flow of the paint, but be careful not to use too much, or your paint will become transparent.

If you are painting a self-portrait, you can start by applying a wash of diluted yellow ochre to the paper, using a large flat hog brush. This will take away the intensity of the white surface and give you a mid-tone base to work on. You can then use a diluted mixture of Cadmium Red and Ivory Black with a size 2 filbert brush to start mapping out the major shapes of your portrait.

If you are painting a background, choose a colour that doesn't compete with your subject. You can keep it simple by blocking in one colour, and if you don't like it, you can always wipe it off and try another.

Painting the eyes

Step 1: Study the Eyes

Start by carefully observing the eyes in your reference photo or live model. Pay attention to the shape, colour, and placement of the iris and pupil. Notice the subtle nuances and expressions in the eyes, as these can help convey the emotional depth and individuality of the subject.

Step 2: Create a Base Layer

Prepare a transparent layer of paint in a colour that will complement the eye colour, such as sienna and burnt umber. Smudge the paint with your finger, allowing the underdrawing to show through. This creates a perfect base for the subsequent layers.

Step 3: Fill in the Whites of the Eyes

Using a thin, opaque mixture of paint, fill in the whites of the eyes. It is important to get the basics in first before moving on to the details. You can leave the highlight areas open, as these can be added at the end or layered over with paint.

Step 4: Add the Pupils and Catchlights

Fill in the pupils with a dark colour, such as black or dark grey. Add a tiny line of highlight just above the lower lid to create a sparkling effect. You can also add a small highlight in the pupil to make the eyes look alive and realistic.

Step 5: Layer and Blend

Continue to layer and blend colours to create the desired eye colour and depth. Use a damp brush to soften any hard lines and maintain clean and straight edges around the eyes. Build up the colours gradually, allowing each layer to dry before adding the next.

Step 6: Final Details

Once the base layers and colours are established, you can add the final details. Pay attention to the small highlights and reflections in the eyes, as well as the lashes. Ensure that the eyes are accurately positioned and proportioned, and make any necessary adjustments to bring them to life.

Final touches and layering

When it comes to layering, it's essential to work with a range of tones to create depth and dimension. Start with a neutral base for your underpainting, gradually building up warm and cool tones. Use glazes to add depth and adjust hues and textures. Remember, glazes are thin, transparent layers of paint that can modify the underlying colours. If you're using oil paint, you can take advantage of its slow-drying property to blend and adjust your layers over time. Acrylic paint, on the other hand, dries quickly and is more forgiving for beginners, allowing for easy cleanup.

As you layer, pay attention to the lighting in your portrait. Ensure you have consistent bright lighting when painting, as this significantly impacts the final result. Add light to the eyes, the right side of the nose, and some light strands of hair to bring your portrait to life. Remember to avoid using pure white for the whites of the eyes, as they always have shadows and variations.

For skin tones, observe and analyse the subject's skin, noting the warm and cool areas. Lips, for instance, are a skin tone, so avoid making them just red. Mix reds and whites with a touch of green to create realistic skin colours. When painting hair, start with the dark parts and layer towards the light areas. Avoid using white or black to lighten or darken colours; instead, opt for more vibrant and realistic alternatives.

Finally, take a step back and view your portrait as if seeing it for the first time. Make any necessary final touches using coloured pencils or pastel over watercolour to perfect the details. Remember to document your work with photographs and notes, which can be helpful for future reference and promotion.

Frequently asked questions