Free Art Direction - Picture Painting Tips & Techniques

Free Art Direction - Picture Painting Tips & Techniques

This post will cover some of the more fundamental portrait painting pointers & strategies and help reduce some of the confusion many newbies deal with. With practice, you will quickly be painting portraits like the masters.

If at all possible, I highly advise you paint your pictures utilizing a live design instead of a photo. There is merely no alternative for painting from life.

Painting an effective portrait is all about how you observe the topic. Do not try and paint every little information exactly as you see it.

For novices, it is probably best to begin with a lighting result where light and shadow remain in high contrast. This will make for a much easier painting.

Concentrate on one area at a time. End up each section before carrying on to the next.

Keep the darks of your portrait at a thin consistency while your lights must be painted on thickly.

Many newbies struggle with blending flesh tones. I know I did when I initially started painting. Bear in mind that skin can be found in a variety of colors & textures, so there is no particular formula for blending flesh tones in portrait painting. You will need to experiment and practice, till you find the right color mixes for any particular subject. Never buy any pre-mixed flesh colors. When mixing your colors be careful not to over mix, which can deaden a color.

Try and repeat the colors and values in your painting to produce balance.

When painting hair, don't attempt and paint every specific strand of hair. Look at the hair as one object and after that paint the darks and lights. Paint the hair in the instructions of the shape of the head.

The muzzle area of the face (the area in between the nose and mouth) is generally the same color as the flesh but cooler.

When painting backgrounds, don't make them too detailed or busy. If you do, you will draw focus far from your portrait.

Include little bits of color where the shadow meets the light in your portraits.

Fleshier parts of the face are typically warm and bonier parts of the face, like the chin for instance, are normally cool in color.

The white in the eye is not white. To get an accurate color for the white in the eye you can take the topics basic flesh color and then lighten it with a gray made from black and white.

I hope these picture painting suggestions & techniques have helped. Picture painting can be difficult, perhaps even annoying in the beginning.

With practice, you will quickly be painting portraits like the masters.

Painting a successful portrait is all about how you observe the subject. Keep in mind that skin comes in a range of textures & colors, so there is no specific formula for mixing flesh tones in portrait painting. I hope these picture painting ideas & strategies have assisted. Portrait painting can be hard, potentially even annoying in the beginning.