Stage 1 – I always start an oil portrait with an accurate pencil drawing applied directly to the canvas or panel. In this case I am u…
Stage 1 – I always start an oil portrait with an accurate pencil drawing applied directly to the canvas or panel. In this case I am using an HB pencil on a stretched linen canvas of 12×10 inches. Stage 2 – I then create an underpainting by blocking in the main shadows using a neutral colour. Here I am using Vandyke Brown oil colour diluted with white spirit applied in transparent washes. I avoid using any linseed oil at this early stage as it prolongs drying times. Stage 3 – I continue with transparent washes using muted colours to define the basic hues and tones and leave it to dry thouroughly. Quite often I’ll use acrylic paints to get to this stage. As they dry so much faster than oils I can work much quicker. I can finish the underpainting with acylics in a couple of hours instead of a couple of days. Stage 4 – I then add contrasts and begin to refine the hues and intensity of colour still using paint diluted only with white spirit. People have often asked which part of a portrait I work on first. I prefer to work on the whole canvas. I find it much easier to judge contrasts and colour balance this way rather than working on the eyes first then trying to paint the hair with the same intensity. Stage 5 – At this stage I start to thin the oll paints with a medium consisting of equal parts of white spirit and linseed oil. I apply them in semi opaque glazes, gradually blending the tones but still allowing the underpainting to show through. I use as limited a pallette as possible and avoid mixing colours, preferring to use the underpainting to alter the hue and tone of paint straight from the tube. So far I have used… Vandyke Brown / Ultramarine / Alizarin Crimson / Titanium White. Stage 6 – Continuing with semi opaque glazes I begin to refine the shadows and start thinking about adding texture and detail. Still working on the whole canvas to keep a tonal balance. Things become very slow going at this point as each layer need to “dry” before overpainting it. Stage 7 – So far the highlights are simply the white of the canvas showing through the semi opaque glazes. Here I add the highlights blend the skin tones and continue to add detail. In this instance I feel I’ve overdone the highlights in many places. These can be toned down and the whole colour balance altered in the next stage. Stage 8 – I’ve added some glazes of burnt sienna to the warm up the flesh tones and some yellow ochre to the background to create a bit more depth. I’ve toned down some of the harsher lines in the hair and softened the edges. Stage 9 – The finished painting. I’ve blended the flesh tones further and added a few tiny highlights using titanium white straight from the tube It’s taken 8 days and I’m about 75% happy with the final result. I could play around with it forever but risk overworking things The final result can been seen here If any members have any questions about painting a portrait in oils please see this forum thread and I’ll do my best to answer your queries there.
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Thrilled! Portrait of Phoebe just won the Painted ladies group challenge ‘Shades of Purple ~ Painted Lady’ And ‘Female Nude’ was voted into the Top Ten of the Painted Ladies challenge ‘All the Colors of the Rainbow ~ Painted Lady’ I’ve just touched over 211000 hits! / Thanks so much to everyone who has looked, commented , bought! Red Bubble is so motivating, love it! / cheers from Roz
And a great big thanks to the hosts for considering my painting. I am proud to be a part of this group. I am just sorry I have not done m…
And a great big thanks to the hosts for considering my painting. I am proud to be a part of this group. I am just sorry I have not done many oils lately. This will prod me to finish the one I have started! I sincerely appreciate this recognition. Have a Happy! / “yimusjane” – Kate Best Friends
Thank you for your wonderful comments everybody,I appreciate them so much, more than anybody could realise many thanks to cheerishables f…
Thank you for your wonderful comments everybody,I appreciate them so much, more than anybody could realise many thanks to cheerishables for giving me the courage to put this here.
Hi fellow artists and friends, I feel truly flattered & honoured to have been featured on the ‘British Painters’ Group here with the r…
Hi fellow artists and friends, I feel truly flattered & honoured to have been featured on the ‘British Painters’ Group here with the recent painting of my brother I did – ‘Rosewood’ This is the first painting I’ve done for quite some years, so it really has helped inspire me further to move forward with the (many) fresh ideas I’d dearly love to carry out :) thanks again to all :) Chris
This was quite a nice surprise. Such beautiful paintings….ALL…entered in Lets Get Real Challenge. Thank you for the honor of voting B…
This was quite a nice surprise. Such beautiful paintings….ALL…entered in Lets Get Real Challenge. Thank you for the honor of voting Bestfriends into the top ten. A big congrats to Simon for his beautiful self portrait…and to all the others entered. So many talented artists. I am so glad to be a part of this fantastic group.
Portrait Paintings of Oil Colors Earlier when photography was not invented, portrait paintings of oil colors and sketches were the med…
Portrait Paintings of Oil Colors Earlier when photography was not invented, portrait paintings of oil colors and sketches were the mediums used by people to get the images of their loved ones made and conserved for future generations. In fact, oil painting portraits were very popular and greatly in demand in earlier times. After the invention of photography, portrait paintings of oil colors became very costly and could be afforded only by the well off people. They became a status symbol for many. Many famous oil painting portraits flooded the markets, but they could be bought home only by very few. Photography introduced a new form of art to people. But it could not take the place of oil paintings in the heart of people. The popularity of portrait paintings specially grew in the European countries. Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, painted in the 1500s, became the most famous and demanded oil painting portrait. Some of the most famous oil paintings were created in the European countries during the 18th and 19th centuries by famous artists like Rembrandt and Gainsborough. Some of these beautiful oil painting portraits are preserved in the National Portrait Museum in Washington. The portrait painting of oil color, created ages before, tell stories of that time. Each portrait, whether they portray an individual, a group of people or anything else, are beautifully created by artists which take people to another world. The popularity and demand for oil painting portraits are on a rise even today. People are very eager to get the portraits of their loved ones made. People also commission a portrait from their favorite photographs. Portrait paintings have become the best decorative pieces for decorating homes and offices. With time these portraits have proven that they are a valuable asset and no other art form can ever take their place.
Portrait Paintings – A popular form of art Portrait paintings are a very popular form of art. Portraits represent individuals and othe…
Portrait Paintings – A popular form of art Portrait paintings are a very popular form of art. Portraits represent individuals and other object in their exact forms. These paintings are pieces of art which are worth owning. While creating portrait paintings, artists put in all their efforts to make the portraits look real. They give special attention to all the big and small details. The artists, who specialize in creating portraits, give special attention to the minute details. It makes the portraits made by them look different from the other ordinary portraits. If you want to get portrait paintings created, you can either go for photo portraits or live portraits. Photo portraits are created from photographs and live portraits are created while an individual sits in front of an artist. If you are getting your portrait created from a photograph, you should make sure that the photograph you choose is perfect for portrait commission. For a portrait to look lively it is essential that the photograph you choose is taken in natural light and there is no affect of loud camera flash. Even while creating a live portrait, the artists make sure that proper light is present, so that proper shades and colors can be applied to the portrait to give it a lively texture. The artists very carefully study their subjects and then start on their work. They give the perfect touch to the features and try to give the portraits the closest resemblance to reality. The artists try to capture the perfect emotions of the individuals in the portrait paintings so that they can draw the attention of people. They create the portraits in a manner that the eyes and smile of the individuals reflect various emotions. / While creating portrait paintings of individuals, the artists generally start with the eyes and the outlining of the head. The artists first create a rough sketch of the features with a light pencil and give the finishing touch later on. The artists finish the portraits with the hair. Portrait paintings are something which one can treasure lifelong. They reflect the beauty of an individual which photographs fail to do.
Three weeks ago I discovered the blog of Susan Carlin / She paints in oils live, almost every week…
Three weeks ago I discovered the blog of Susan Carlin / She paints in oils live, almost every week on Ustream for two hours each session. She is primarily a portrait painter who resides in San Antonio Texas. / She is a very warm and friendly lady, and provides delightful commentary and answers questions from viewers online. You will have to sign up with Ustream which is free to join in with the conversation while she is painting. / I love her work, and I find it quite fascinating to watch someone paint live online. I don’t paint in oils myself, but I find her approach to art quite inspiring. / You can also watch Susan’s previous sessions at any time by clicking this link. / To get advance notice of her painting sessions, click on the link to her blog in the first link above, and register for an email update. / Hope to see you in the next session.
My name is Aristotle, but you can call me Ari.
I want to thank all the groups for featuring my paintings. / RB featured “In the Red” on the front page! This was a BIG happy moment! / The…
I want to thank all the groups for featuring my paintings. / RB featured “In the Red” on the front page! This was a BIG happy moment! / The Red Bike was featured in “Bicycle”. / Cat Visions featured in “Cats & Dogs”. / The Predictably Purr-sistant Persian in Paws & Claws / Serenity’s Garden in “Angel Wings & Heaven” / and last but not least…............ / Art of the Doll featured 4 of my Art Dolls!!! / Wow, HUGE thanks go to ALL of the groups for the great welcome !!!!
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