Lithograph of a portrait by Henry Inman
There is no single correct method to creating realistic likenesses in oil, so not surprisingly, there are a multitude of tricks and techniques for approaching this challenging art form. Basic knowledge of painting in oil, as well as an understanding of brush methods and portraying proper lighting, shadows and proportions is needed for painting an oil portrait. This brief guide also is useful for artists just learning this challenging but rewarding art form.
Selecting a Subject
Professional portrait painters often prefer to use live models over photographs. One reason is that it is easier for the artist to better gauge the angles and form of a live sitter's features than it is with a photograph that presents only one angle. Either method is appropriate, however, and if you are a beginning portrait painter, you may choose to practice using photographs as guide images until you have comfortably developed your technique.
Unless you are painting a portrait on a commission basis, some things to consider when seeking a subject for your portrait are the expressiveness of the model's features and the personality she conveys. Portrait artists often create paintings to memorialize or capture the likenesses of those who are important to them or whose appearances have appealing or unique qualities.
Form, Lighting and Skin Tone
When setting up your work area for a live model, position yourself close to the sitter, but at a slightly lower level so the features and proportions are easily visible. You should both be comfortable. Avoid painting the model head-on; sit so your view of the face is at an angle, and be aware of your positioning of the head on the canvas when sketching the original image. On realcolorwheel.com, artist Don Jusko provides a detailed guide to positioning, achieving proper proportions and suggestions for making the sitter feel comfortable.
On fineartportrait.com, portrait artist and teacher Marvin Mattelson offers insight into his methods, providing images of each step of the process. Starting with a solid background, sketch a properly proportioned image with oil pastel onto the canvas. With neutral-toned paint, add shadows first to dark, shaded areas, then add highlights with lighter, complementary colors. Halftones, which are areas of shading that fall somewhere in between light and shadowed areas, are next. After blending the transitions between shaded areas, allow the paint to dry before moving on to the next step.
Arguably the most challenging aspect of portrait painting is creating realistic skin tones. The Opt website offers a detailed guide on color mixing for specific complexions, as well as useful hints for adding realism to your portrait with facial features and hairline transitions. Color glazes are added over the neutral painting to reflect skin tone. A glaze is a transparent layer of paint that is thinned out with a paint medium such as Damar varnish, glazing medium, liquin or linseed oil. It is important to allow each glaze to dry before adding another layer on top of it and to make sure that each layer is transparent. The sum total of all the glazes, especially if the colors are varied slightly from layer to layer, create a varied, realistic effect in the skin tone that can't be achieved with a single, opaque layer of paint.
