New Growth Gallery

Being able to capture the likeness of a human being on canvas, using paint, is certainly a sought after accomplishment for many new painters. It can also be somewhat challenging. This article will cover some of the more basic portrait painting tips & techniques and help lessen some of the confusion many beginners face. With practice, you will soon be painting portraits like the masters.

If at all possible, I highly recommend you paint your portraits using a live model as opposed to a photograph. There is simply no substitution for painting from life.

Painting a successful portrait is all about how you observe the subject. You want to study the subject as a whole. Study the bone structure and try to see shapes and planes. Do not try and paint every little detail exactly as you see it.

For beginners, it is probably best to start out with a lighting effect where light and shadow are in high contrast. This will make for a much easier painting.

Focus on one section at a time. Finish each section before moving on to the next.

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

Many beginners struggle with mixing flesh tones. I know I did when I first started painting. Remember that skin comes in a variety of colors & textures, so there is no specific formula for mixing flesh tones in portrait painting. You will have to experiment and practice, until you find the right color mixtures for any particular subject. Never purchase 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 create balance.

When painting hair, don’t try and paint every individual strand of hair. Look at the hair as one object and then paint the lights and darks. Paint the hair in the direction of the shape of the head.

The muzzle area of the face (the space 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 away from your portrait.

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

Fleshier parts of the face are generally warm and bonier parts of the face, like the chin for instance, are generally 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 subjects basic flesh color and then lighten it with a gray made from black and white.

I hope these portrait painting tips & techniques have helped. Portrait painting can be difficult, possibly even frustrating in the beginning. Never give up and keep practicing. You will get the hang of it.

When you are just starting out with acrylic painting, you will most certainly make your share of mistakes. This is the natural process of painting and we all learn and grow from our mistakes. This article introduces some of the more common mistakes beginner acrylic painters make.

Mistake #1 to avoid: Not using enough variety in your painting. An interesting painting has variety. It creates curiosity and interest, and the viewer wants to return again to observe it. So how do you create an interesting painting? Use a variety of different brushstrokes, techniques and values in your paintings. Change the direction of your brushstrokes or mix different techniques in the same painting.

Mistake #2 to avoid: Being too technical or copying. In order to truly paint a subject, and when I say “truly”, I am not saying you should copy the subject exactly as you see it. I am referring to connecting to the painter inside and truly painting your own impression of what you see. This is how your inner creativity shines on the canvas. It is what set painters like Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet apart from the rest. They each injected their own style and heart into their work. I believe your own unique creativity comes to the surface the moment you stop relying on the technicalities and theories associated with painting. I am not saying one shouldn’t study techniques and theory, but at some point we have to put that stuff on the back burner and let our creativity do some of the thinking. Whatever you do, don’t copy other artists. There is nothing wrong with allowing other artists to influence you, just make sure you allow your own unique style to come through.

Mistake #3 to avoid: Not observing your subjects. Do you spend time observing the subjects you feel inspired to paint? If you are a portrait artist, have you done any studying of the human anatomy? If you paint landscapes, do you spend enough time outdoors in that environment? If you aren’t spending enough time observing the subjects that you wish to paint, then you won’t know have enough knowledge to paint them.

Mistake #4: Not using quality art supplies. Are you using quality acrylic painting supplies? A really experienced and talented artist could probably create an entire painting using a toothpick, but who really wants to work that hard? When it comes to fine art supplies, you usually do get what you pay for. If you paint with a 50cent paintbrush, it will probably paint just like a 50cent paintbrush. The ferrule will more than likely become loose and the hairs will probably shed. If you are using really cheap paint, you will more than likely get really cheap results. The colors will not have the same brilliance or the right consistency. So invest in quality art supplies and take great care of them as well.

Mistake #5 to avoid: Not using enough paint. Learn how to apply paint to your canvas. Many beginners don’t reload their brushes often enough. I made this same mistake when I first began painting. I would squeeze out a little glob of paint and try to cover as much area as possible. In my case, I was just lazy, but many beginners are fearful of wasting paint. This is a reasonable concern considering the cost of supplies. The truth however, is that your paintings will be more interesting if you lay down the brush stroke, leave it alone, and then reload your brush. Don’t try and scrub the paint into the canvas, otherwise you are just staining, and not painting.

Mistake #6 To Avoid: Over Thinking. Don’t overly criticize or judge your own work while you are painting. This only creates discouragement and forces many beginners to become frustrated and quit. Just relax and let go. Trust yourself and your abilities.

I hope this article on acrylic painting has been helpful. Never get discouraged if you are making mistakes or not happy with your work. Mistakes are learning tools. Learn and move on. The most important aspect of painting is the enjoyment we receive from it anyway. Frustration and discouragement should never dominate the painting experience. Happy painting!

Oil paint is an amazing versatile medium. It can be applied in a thick buttery fashion or thinned down to a watery consistency. This versatility opens the door to a number of different painting techniques.

My personal preference is to begin my oil paintings by first sketching out the composition using acrylic paint or with water-soluble oil paints. The popular approach to oil painting is to thin the paint with turpentine to apply your initial layers. Turpentine is quite toxic and I prefer not to work with it. Acrylic or water-soluble oil paints can be thinned down with plain old water and are more pleasant to work with in my opinion.

You can also begin your oil painting by first drawing out your composition. There are a few drawing mediums that work quite nicely with oil paints. My two favorites are vine charcoal and water-soluble pencils. I prefer vine charcoal because it doesn’t smudge like other charcoals and it can be erased easier. Water-soluble pencils are wonderful because they can be applied like ordinary colored pencils and can also be dampened with a brush allowing you to spread out the color.

If you are the impatient type, you may want to try your hand at the Alla Prima oil painting technique. The Alla Prima method is when you complete the painting in one sitting rather than paint in layers and wait for the paint to dry. Although I usually prefer to work out my paintings in layers, I occasionally enjoy this exciting and spontaneous approach to oil painting.

If you are the careful, patient type of painter, you may be interested in working with glazes. Glazing has lost popularity these days, partly because of the time needed to complete such a painting and it’s difficulty, but the results are something truly unique to any other type of painting technique. The composition is first painted with an opaque monochrome underpainting, usually in shades of gray. After this initial underpainting is thoroughly dry, thin layers of transparent oil glazes are applied. Colors are not mixed directly but added in separate layers to get the desired color.

If you are the adventurous type, put the brushes aside and try a set of painting or palette knives. You can achieve some very interesting results with knives that aren’t possible with brushes. The oil paint can be spread on thickly and scraped off with ease. What I enjoy most about using knives is the tendency to not focus on the small details. I am forced to paint in a more relaxed fashion that creates an impressionist style painting. Get yourself a set of painting knives and try to complete an entire painting with just the knives. It’s challenging at first if you are used to brushes, but it’s an enjoyable exercise.

Perhaps you would like your painting to have more body and texture. You could try the impasto technique and apply your paint in thick heavy strokes, leaving evidence of all those wonderfully artistic brush strokes. Take a look at a Van Gogh painting and you will see this technique in action.

It’s really no wonder why oil painting is such a popular choice for painters. There is so much to discover in oil painting. You will never get bored trying out all the wonderful tools, mediums and techniques.

Painting is the art of applying pigments to a surface whether it is on paper, canvas, a wall or any other medium, to create an image with lines and colors. The image can represent real objects found around us or imaginary ones. It may also be an arrangement of abstract forms. The art of drawing is very essential in painting as one step together with composition and other aesthetic consideration in forming the finished work.

History has allowed painting to serve a variety of functions. It was an important part of religious rites during prehistoric times. It was also the most common means of providing a visual record of events and people. By the 20th century, painting has become a medium of personal expression. Modern artists have incorporated other materials such as sand, cement, straw and wood to add variation to the texture. The concept has slowly eclipsed the historic value of the craft but this has not deterred most artists to continue practicing it.

The Prehistoric times saw paintings of animals in the walls of the caves of primitive men. The Egyptians decorated tombs with scenes depicting the dead man’s family and possessions. The more lively Minoan painting was used to decorate stuccoed walls of palaces. Mycenaean culture changed this painting to depict conquests and hunts. Classical Greek paintings have simplified forms and geometric patterns. Etruscan painting put emphasis on silhouettes, ornamental contour and design. There was a new interest in emotional and psychological effects as seen on Roman painting. Early Christian painting rejected illusionism where modeling was replaced by flat decorative patters. The Byzantine style combined elements of Greek, Roman and Eastern art. Much of the decoration was done in Mosaic which was highly favored due to its durability. Islamic artists created ornamental designs called arabesques because the Islam religion forbade representation of human beings in art. Chinese and Japanese painting revealed the constant extraordinarily skillful use of the brush.

Early medieval painting is characterized by Celtic, Carolingian and Romanesque art where form has been adapted for the illustration and illumination of Christian texts. Gothic art generally depicted subjects related to architecture. The Pre-Renaissance period show a revival of interest in classical art. It produced the International style which is characterized by refinement, decorative movement, elongated and swaying figures and linear pattern. The perfection of the technique of oil painting during the Late-Gothic period made it possible to produce brilliant colors, minute details and permanence of finish.

The Renaissance period put much emphasis on man and the world rather than God. High-Renaissance was generally applied to the period when the idea of classical, balanced harmony was achieved. The Mannerist style followed which was ironically characterized by disturbing tensions and distortions. It was soon replaced by Baroque painting which used the elements of dynamic pose, gesture and composition as well as the sharp contrast between light and shadow. The style of the 18th century exalts color, light and movement and bordered on the frivolous and concern with pleasure. It was during the latter part of the period that artists began to paint for themselves rather than to please the church. The 19th century gave rise to Romanticism, Realism and Impressionism. Expressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, Dada, Surrealism and Non-Objective art are all products of the 20th century.

Time has produced several styles, each a reflection of what happened during a certain period. This is why a painting is able to provide anyone with a rich visual experience that cannot be found anywhere else. You can only learn to appreciate a painting by reading and studying information about artists, styles and periods. From there, you will see each work and the particular point of view as seen by the artist himself.