Hand Painted Portraits From Photos And How To Do It

By Brenda Miller


Ever been intimidated by a portrait painting? Especially when it is close to impossible to get all the colors correct? Well, we are going to discuss easy steps on perfecting it. With a little more practice and once you get a feel for it, you will be a natural. Here are techniques on Hand Painted Portraits from Photos.

Choose one photo with a lot of good highlights. Also shadows. Try picking one that has a good range from light and then to dark. Pose your model so there will be a few shadowy areas on its face because this adds dimension to your painting. Once you have that image, cut this photo to the right size of a canvas or maybe even a panel.

Trace the simple lines of the photo. Do the same for the highlights that come with it as a neat little trick. And do not forget your shadows since those add a realistic sense. After that, lay down your colors for this portrait.

You paint the eyes first. The whites should be done before the pupils. Always remember that those are never purely white. Some have shadows or anything that varies all its whites. Your darks and shadows ought to be blocked in too. Doing that help helps you get comfortable with the face.

Add mid-tone colors to your portrait. Generally, you would want to work starting from dark then to light. While you try to block in those mid tones you shall see a face about to take some shape. Remember that lips are skin tone and they are almost never just the color red. Paint some light colors on the top and avoid using plain white.

Paint its lightest colors on the top of it. Light areas ought to be pretty warm so mix a peachy color with it mostly white, umber, crimson and yellow. When lights are blocked in you should see a three-dimensional face take shape. Then the fun part comes by adding the definition and its details.

Put the fundamental hues needed for its hair. When you do the blocking on its hair, you are going to notice which place is needed to be colored or not on the face. So in that case, add those shades to its forehead too. Load up everything in its hair.

Finish up all the highlights of the portrait and tiny details. Those eyes need a sparkle to have a reflection so busy yourself with that. Adjusting the details? Master that too. You will only little highlights so avoid getting carried away.

Assuming you have not painted its background already, use colors that are not of the same tone as your subject. Do minimal for the most part and crop in very tight on your subject so it will stay simple. When deciding to tackle art head on, be creative and open minded as well as simple. As a practice, try painting a portrait of your own face as a nice start. Happy Painting.




About the Author: