A Guide To Painting Portraits

Portraits are a special kind of painting for the sole reason that you are painting a human being. The way in which you craft your subject makes a big difference, as it cannot be ill-shapen or the finished product will be ruined. Discovering how you would create a portraiture requires that you learn different things than if your interest were in other styles of art, therefore it is of the utmost importance that your are familiar with specific ways of painting in order to produce the best piece possible. A lot can be accomplished with just a handful of cheap modern art supplies and a vision of what you want.

To Study Your Muse...

Being a portrait artist begins with a close inspection of the person you are painting so that you can bring out the qualities that differentiate him from everyone else. It is important that you develop your observation skills because you will be deciding on what to do with your subject and how to manipulate him/her and his/her surroundings to make a good painting come to life. As much as possible, try not to put every single detail that you see in the portrait like how many moles are in the face or if there’s a strand of white hair in the subject’s scalp. Pick out what is important and what stands out and use that as a strong point in your portrait.

Depicting People...

A lot of art students who learn to do portraits, whether with an oil or acrylic based paint set, have a problem with the skin of the subject. Not only that, they have to learn how to paint using light and shadow to really bring out the beauty of their subject. People are featured in several colors. That is why there isn't one way to mix paint together and get the proper tone, and also what makes this a sticking point for those just starting out in portraiture. The answer to this is simple trial and error until you come across just the right mix to match your subject's pigmentation. Other aspects of a person that can take time to get right are areas such as the ears or the upper part of the nose. Like I said, experiment and try out different ways on how to paint the body and the face to be able to come up with your own formula for paint mixtures and your own style in painting features.

Backgrounds Should Not be Too Detailed...

You may have placed your subject in front of a complicated background. If you are planning on adding this background to the portrait, be sure not to put too much detail in because it will distract you and you will suddenly realize your focus isn’t on the subject anymore. Also, try as best as you can to manipulate the amount of light and shadow around the subject to add a more intense effect to your portrait. Just like in photography, if you know how to use light and shadow, your portraits will definitely have a much stronger effect on people than a portrait that is plainly the way it is with no touch of light whatsoever. Making this real impact on a viewer is what every artist strives to achieve, no matter what the chosen subject may be. It's what makes creative endeavors so rewarding. Where else can you achieve such a response using nothing more than a quality cheap stretched canvas and a handful of other low-cost supplies.