Let's take a look at some step by step tutorials and techniques I use to paint people with acrylic paint. This acrylic painting technique lesson is about painting and does not cover drawing skills or address proportion to a great extent. If you learn to use the correct colors and shadowing techniques with paint on your finished drawing you should do fine.
First, you should start with an accurate drawing of the subject you plan on painting. Some artist use the grid method, while others free hand the initial drawing. One hint that you need to take to heart is this; If you don't have an accurate drawing, do not attempt to paint the person. You more than likely will not achieve a likeness if you don't have a likeness first in pencil.
1. The color of flesh. Once you have an accurate drawing, decide what color the flesh will be in the painting. Different artists use a different variety of colors. I suggest purchasing a good tutorial book that describes different ethnicities and colors for different flesh. A common cool light skin tone would be titanium white mixed with alizarin crimson with a touch of cadmium red. For a darker or warmer version of this you would add a touch of cadmium yellow medium. I have even added a touch of burnt umber to darken this skin tone. A common mixture for dark skinned people would be titanium white, burnt umber, cadmium red, and a touch of cadmium yellow medium. To darken the tone, add more brunt umber and cadmium red medium.
2. Painting the eyes. I like to start my portraits with the eyes. Every single time that you paint an eye make sure it contains these elements. overall shape, the upper and lower eye lid, the pupil, the sclera or white of the eye, the upper and lower lashes, the eyebrow, the corner membrane, and the catch-light or highlight. There are a lot of components of the eye and it is the most complicated facial feature to paint. If your painting is not to be too detailed, as in a very distant person, you can omit the eye lids the corner membrane and maybe even the lashes.
3. The lips. Lips can also make or break a portrait. To paint lips, first start with a drawing of them. Follow the facial proportion guidelines and outline the lips with a color you have gotten from the flesh tone but add a little more red or rose. Another good color for lips is a tiny bit of raw umber or crimson added to the flesh tone. Now fill in the lips with color. The upper lip will be darker than the lower lip. Be careful not to make the lips look too pink or red, unless the subject is wearing lipstick. Make sure to show a little highlight on the bottom lip. The more highlight you add, the more moist the lip will appear. Softly blend the bottom line of the bottom lip with the skin to make them look natural, there should be no hard line. Now add shadows directly above the top lip, and under the bottom lip and in the chin crease.
Painting people accurately is an art that requires much practice and patience. You should purchase literature for acrylic painting techniques that demonstrates these methods. Every artist is different so find out what works best for you. Good luck and enjoy learning to paint.
Author: Julie Shoemaker
About the author:
Julie Shoemaker is an avid painter and hobbyist who regularly gives paintings as gifts to family and friends. To read more articles like the one here, and to see more free art tips, tricks and techniques and free step by step lessons Learn Painting Techniques or visit http://www.IamPainting.org
Article source: Free Painting Articles.
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