Painting a human face using oil paints is challenging. The key is to measure what you see, and simplify what you paint. All faces have individual features, but all human faces follow the same basic proportions. Use charcoal to sketch in the basic forms of your subject's face and then fill in the flesh tones, shadows and highlights with oil paint. Blend the tones together while the paint is still wet to create a smooth transition from light to dark.
Instructions
1. Line pure pigments at the top of the palette and reserve the space below for blending colors.
Pour turpentine into your glass jar, filling it ¼ full. Place all the brushes into the jar. Squeeze out paint pigments onto your palette in the following order: flesh tone, white, red, yellow ochre, and blue.
2. Shadows on a face help to define its structure.
Seat your subject at least five feet away from you. Set up your light on one side of your subject so that the light casts shadows on the subject's face. Take photographs of your subject from the angle you will be painting for reference.
3. Use your charcoal pencil to sketch the shape of your subject's head. Draw the shape as an oval. Measure halfway down the oval and draw a light horizontal line. Draw each eye at the level of this line. Draw a vertical line dividing the oval in two. Draw the nose surrounding this line. Draw a simple line for the mouth.
4. Palette knives are useful for blending colors together.
Remove a brush from the jar, pressing the bristles against it to remove excess solvent. Grab some of the flesh pigment with your palette knife. Deposit it onto an open area of your palette. Grab some yellow ochre. Blend the two pigments together. Grab a small amount of blue. Mix with the previous blend.
5. Add one or two drops of linseed oil and blend until the mixture is smooth and fluid. Swirl your paint brush in the blended color and paint all the shaded areas of the face. Replace the brush in the turpentine jar.
6. Choose a new brush. Add a drop of linseed oil on top of the original flesh pigment. Load some of the original flesh pigment on to your brush. Paint all the parts of the face that are lit by the lamp. Do not paint over any of your shadow areas. Replace the brush in the jar.
7. Lips and cheeks have more red color than other areas of the face.
Choose a new brush. Grab some of the flesh pigment. Place it in an open area on your palette. Add a pea-sized amount of red. Add one drop of linseed oil. Mix the colors and oil together with the palette knife. Pick up some of this reddish-flesh tone with your brush. Paint the lower lip. Then, paint some of the color onto the cheeks. Paint right over any pigment you have already on the cheeks.
8. Grab a small amount of yellow ochre and blend it in to mixture you just used on the lips and cheeks. Use this color and paint the upper lip and eye lids.
9. Choose a new brush. Grab titanium white with your palette knife. Grab a small amount of flesh color and blend it in to the white. Use this color to paint the whites of the eye.
10. Blend blue with a small amount of red and yellow ochre. Paint the iris with this color.
11. Adding glints to the eyes makes them look real.
Use the tip of your brush handle to pick up a dab of pure white paint. Deposit a small dab of white paint on to the iris area. Repeat for the other eye.
12. Clean your palette knife with paper towel. Grab some white. Press and drag your paint-covered knife wherever you see bright highlights on the face. Paint highlights on broad areas such as the forehead.
13. Choose a clean brush. Dry the brush in a paper towel. Blend the areas where different flesh tones meet. Rub the dry brush into the canvas and make circular movements to blend the edges together.
14. Add fine details on top of your painting after it has dried.
Leave the canvas to dry for at least 24 hours. Add small details such as eyelashes on top of your dried painting.
