Why do My Skin Tones Look Lifeless? Plus 25 Solutions to Other Portrait Painting Peeves: Tips and Techniques on Oil Painting Portraits, Mixing Skin Colours, Eyes, Hair and More
4/5
()
About this ebook
A troubleshooting guide for portraiture.
Portraiture is often seen as the last frontier of representational art as every detail has huge consequences upon whether a portrait looks like the person depicted. The beginner need not venture far before encountering a possible minefield of problems. Common issues might be why a portrait painting looks childish, eyes look like marbles, hair looks like a wig or noses appear skewed.
Such frustrations and many others might be encountered by professional and amateur portraitists alike, whether it is to capture the highlights in eyes or to make skin tones appear three-dimensional. It is all part of learning to paint. If the issue persists, however, the problem is likely to become a creative block in portraiture. This is where this book comes in.
Each issue is tackled candidly and in-depth, consisting of a description of the issue concerned, suggested solutions via the art materials required and painting exercises.
Now with large images for tablets, twenty-six common “peeves” associated with portraiture are tackled within this book. A myriad of other matters relating to portraiture are explained, including suggested pigments to use for ethnic subjects, painting from life, portrait photography and more – in total, with over 150 colour images. Sections I and II within the after matter of this book provides two step-by-step demonstrations for first-time explorers of skin tones.
Some of the images within this book can be found in my other Oil Painting Medic Book, Portrait Painting in Oil: Ten Step by Step Guides from Old Masters. Other images have been sourced from my fine art paintings and commissions.
My other book on portraiture: Portrait Painting in Oil: 10 Step by Step Guides offering demos on painting old master such as Botticelli, Vermeer and Rossetti might also be of interest.
Dimensions of hard copy: 8.5x5.5in and 142 pages with 27,000 words.
The author has a BA Hons Degree in Fine Art from London as well as a PCET teaching qualification from Warwick.
Rachel Shirley
I have practiced oil painting from the age of six and have since been involved in countless projects and commissions. A graduate from Kingston University, Surrey and with a PCET teaching qualification from Warwick University, I have won competitions, taught life drawing and have written several books and many articles on oil painting and teaching art.
Read more from Rachel Shirley
Portrait Painting in Oil: 10 Step by Step Guides from Old Masters: Learn to Paint Portraits via Detailed Oil Painting Demonstrations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Begin Drawing with 8 Exercises and 8 Projects: Achievable Goals To Get You To Draw Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Draw What You See Not What You Think You See: Learn How to Draw for Beginners Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings10 Bite Sized Oil Painting Projects: Book 1 Practice Colour Mixing and Technique via Landscapes, Animals, Still Life and More Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNo Need for an Easel or a Mahl Stick: Oil Painting for the Absolute Beginner Made Simple Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOil Painting the Angel within Da Vinci’s the Virgin of the Rocks: Unleash the Right Brain to Paint the Three-quarter Portrait View Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ultimate Oil Painting Solution – for Landscape Art, Portraiture and Still Life (Three Books in One) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings10 Bite-Sized Oil Painting Projects: Book 3 Practice Mark-Making & Alla Prima via Still Life, Animals, Woodlands & Skies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKatie's Magic Teapot Omnibus Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWindows on the Zeebrugge Raid 1918: With Rare Photographs of the Mole Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Why do My Skin Tones Look Lifeless? Plus 25 Solutions to Other Portrait Painting Peeves
Related ebooks
The Ultimate Oil Painting Solution – for Landscape Art, Portraiture and Still Life (Three Books in One) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLandscapes in Oils Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The New Oil Painting: Your Essential Guide to Materials and Safe Practices Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Fundamentals of Oil Painting: A Complete Course in Techniques, Subjects and Styles Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Acrylic Painting: Learn How to Paint Easy Techniques with Acrylic Paint (with photos) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Loosen Up Your Painting Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5How To Oil Paint Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mastering Color: The Essentials of Color Illustrated with Oils Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An Artist's Guide to Plein Air Painting Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Easy Oil Painting: Beginner Tutorials for Small Still Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCreate Realistic Portraits with Colored Pencils Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/510 Bite-Sized Oil Painting Projects: Book 3 Practice Mark-Making & Alla Prima via Still Life, Animals, Woodlands & Skies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPen, Ink and Watercolor Sketching on Toned Paper: Pen, Ink and Watercolor Sketching Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Anyone Can Paint: Create sensational art in oils, acrylics, and watercolours Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLearn How to Paint Portraits of People Using Pastels For the Beginner Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5No Need for an Easel or a Mahl Stick: Oil Painting for the Absolute Beginner Made Simple Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Oil Painter's Bible: An Essential Reference for the Practicing Artist Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Quick & Clever Acrylics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/57 Step Method to Abstract Painting Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Learn How to Paint Portraits of People In Watercolor For the Absolute Beginners Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCharcoal Basics for Beginners Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAcrylic Painting: What You Need to Know When Learning How to Paint With Acrylics Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Different Techniques of Watercolor and how to use them in Backgrounds and Paintings: Step by Step Lessons Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Visual Arts For You
Sharpie Art Workshop: Techniques & Ideas for Transforming Your World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Daily Creativity Journal Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Botanical Drawing: A Step-By-Step Guide to Drawing Flowers, Vegetables, Fruit and Other Plant Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lost Art of Handwriting: Rediscover the Beauty and Power of Penmanship Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Draw Anything Anytime: A Beginner's Guide to Cute and Easy Doodles (Over 1,000 Illustrations) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Draw Every Little Thing: Learn to Draw More Than 100 Everyday Items, From Food to Fashion Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Art Models 5: Life Nude Photos for the Visual Arts Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Art Models 10: Photos for Figure Drawing, Painting, and Sculpting Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Visitors Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Draw Like an Artist: 100 Flowers and Plants Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Learn to Draw: Manual Drawing - for the Absolute Beginner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Watercolor Success in Four Steps: 150 Skill-Building Projects to Paint Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Expressive Digital Painting in Procreate Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Harmonious Color Schemes; no-nonsense approach using the Color Wheel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anatomy for Fantasy Artists: An Essential Guide to Creating Action Figures & Fantastical Forms Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Journal with Purpose: Over 1000 motifs, alphabets and icons to personalize your bullet or dot journal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Drawing School: Fundamentals for the Beginner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Conscious Creativity: Look, Connect, Create Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Morpho: Anatomy for Artists Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Art Models 3: Life Nude Photos for the Visual Arts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Art Starts with a Line: A Creative and Interactive Guide to the Art of Line Drawing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Painting Water in Watercolour Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Creature Garden: An Illustrator's Guide to Beautiful Beasts & Fictional Fauna Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Art Models: Life Nudes for Drawing, Painting, and Sculpting Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Manga Art for Beginners: How to Create Your Own Manga Drawings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Zentangle® Sourcebook: The ultimate resource for mindful drawing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related categories
Reviews for Why do My Skin Tones Look Lifeless? Plus 25 Solutions to Other Portrait Painting Peeves
5 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Why do My Skin Tones Look Lifeless? Plus 25 Solutions to Other Portrait Painting Peeves - Rachel Shirley
Book Sample of Why do My Skin Tones Look Lifeless?
Comprehensive troubleshooting guide on portrait painting. Find a beginner’s section on portraiture, as well as the essential pigments to capture skin tones. This is followed by constructive advice on painting eyes, different-coloured hair, noses and remedial techniques. Chapters include, ‘my ethnic skin colours look dirty,’ ‘the eyes on my portrait look like marbles’ and much more. With a step by step demo. 27,000 words and 150 images.
Note: this ebook book is also available in a bundle ebook entitled ‘The Ultimate Oil Painting Solution’ which consists of 3 books: Why do My Clouds Look Like Cotton Wool? Why do My Skin Tones Look Lifeless? and Why do my Ellipses Look Like Doughnuts? at a lower cost per book than if the 3 were purchased singly
Oil Painting Medic
Why do My Skin Tones Look Lifeless?
Plus 25 Solutions to Other Portrait Painting Peeves
Tips and Techniques on Oil Painting Portraits, Mixing Skin Colours, Eyes, Hair and More
Rachel Shirley
ISBN: 9781301654161
Text, photographs and illustrations copyright Rachel Shirley 2012
All rights reserved
Dedication
For Harriet and Joseph
With special thanks to: (in alphabetical order)
Catherine, Cheryl, Christine, Elizabeth, James, Lorraine, Olivia, Philip, Ruth and Samantha
First Published in 2012 by Rachel Shirley Text, photographs and illustrations Rachel Shirley 2012. All rights reserved The Right of Rachel Shirley to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 Section 77 and 78. Smashwords Edition License Note This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Contents for Why do My Skin Tones Look Lifeless? Plus 25 Solutions to Other Portrait Painting Peeves
Introduction to Why do My Skin Tones Look Lifeless?
Solutions for Starting Out in Portraiture
Chapter 1 Portraiture Needs Specialised Equipment, Doesn’t It?
Chapter 2 I’m Anxious about Starting my Portrait
Chapter 3 How do I Mix my First Skin Colour?
Chapter 4 Art techniques for Portraiture Seems Complicated
Chapter 5 My Portrait Painting Looks Childish
Chapter 6 I Don’t Know what’s Bugging Me About My Portrait
Chapter 7 How do I Erase a Mistake from My Portrait?
Solutions for the Portrait Setup
Chapter 8 I Have no Suitable Photos for Portraiture
Chapter 9 My Portrait Looks Off-balance
Chapter 10 How do I Paint a Portrait from Life?
Chapter 11 What do I do With the Backgrounds to My Portraits?
Solutions for Painting Skin Tones
Chapter 12 Why do My Skin Tones Look Lifeless?
Chapter 13 My Skin Tones look Patchy
Chapter 14 How do I Darken the Colour of Skin?
Chapter 15 My Ethnic Skin Colours Look Dirty
Solutions for Painting Facial Features
Chapter 16 The Eyes on my Portrait look like Marbles
Chapter 17 The Noses in my Portraits look Skewed
Chapter 18 The Teeth in my Portrait look like Pegs
Chapter 19 The Mouth on my Portrait looks Wrong
Solutions for Painting Hair
Chapter 20 Facial Hair on my Portrait looks Stuck On
Chapter 21 The Dark Hair on My Portrait Painting Looks Wiggy
Chapter 22 Blond and Ginger Hair on my Portrait Resemble Straw
Solutions for Painting Subjects of Various Ages
Chapter 23 Skin Textures on My Portrait Look too Linear
Chapter 24 My Child Portrait Looks like a Little Adult
Solutions for Painting the Form
Chapter 25 Hands in My Portrait Painting has Fingers like Sausages
Chapter 26 Clothes Look Plastic in my Portrait Painting
After Matter
Step by Step Demonstration on Painting a Hand
Step by Step Demonstration on Portrait Painting
A Shopping List if Starting out in Portraiture
Glossary
About the Paintings in This Book
Books by the author
Introduction to Why do My Skin Tones Look Lifeless?
Portraiture is often seen as the last frontier of representational art as every detail has huge consequences upon whether a portrait looks like the person depicted or if flesh tones look convincing. The beginner need not venture far before encountering a possible minefield of problems. Common issues might be why a portrait painting looks childish, eyes look like marbles or hair looks like a wig.
Such frustrations and many others might be encountered by professional and amateur artists alike, whether it is to capture the highlights in eyes or to make skin tones appear three-dimensional. It is all part of learning to paint. If the issue persists, however, the problem is likely to become a creative block. This is where this book comes in.
Each issue is tackled candidly and in-depth consisting of a description of the issue concerned, suggested solutions via the art materials required and painting exercises.
In total, twenty-six common peeves
associated with portraiture are tackled within this book, including why noses appear skewed and why a portrait has teeth that resemble pegs.
A myriad of other matters relating to portraiture are explained, including tonal values, composing a painting and taking suitable photographs for portraiture, in total, with over 150 colour images. Sections within the after matter of this book outlines two step-by-step demonstrations: one on painting hands (to complement chapter 3), the other portraiture.
Some of the images within this book can be found in my other Oil Painting Medic Books, Portrait Painting in Oil: 10 Step by Step Guides from Old Masters and Skin Tones in Oil: 10 Step by step Guides from Old Masters. Other images have been sourced from my fine art paintings and commissions. Details about all these paintings can be found in section IV in the after matter.
If the problem sought after is not in this book, it might be in one of my other Oil Painting Medic books within this series (see bibliography).
Alternatively, the aforementioned book on portraiture offers prescriptive instructions on how to paint different subjects sourced from old masters.
Solutions for Starting Out in Portraiture
Chapter 1: Portraiture Needs Specialised Equipment, Doesn’t It?
The traditional view of portraiture is that a purpose-built studio, an artist’s easel, a mahl stick, not to mention an array of earth colours, are essential for the production of satisfactory portraits in oil. Racks of paint brushes for every mark possible must be a requisite, as well as huge canvases and a litany of art mediums.
In fact, this is far from the truth. I personally use a corner of a room, several oil pigments and basic art materials. Everything the portraitist needs except the art surfaces can be stored in an average-sized toolbox. The artist may tailor the materials to individual needs, but essentially, portrait painting can be a simple practice as can be seen within this book. A summarising shopping list of the art materials required can be found within section III at the back.
Essential Pigments for Portraiture
Traditionally, portrait artists are seen to require dozens of art pigments to produce the desired skin pigment or eye colour. Personally, I find many such earth colours dull and unnecessary for mixing skin colours. Superfluous to requirement are: yellow ochre, saw sienna, raw umber, terre verte, cadmium orange, vermillion and Payne’s grey. The pigment labelled ‘flesh tint’ or similar has never been used in my portrait paintings as I prefer to mix my colours from scratch. The essential colours I use for portraiture amounts to just seven (see chapter 3). An additional several are optional. The aforementioned shopping list at the back details pigments and their associated necessities.
Prolonging the Life of Sables for Detail
Specialised art brushes can be costly, so care is important to ensure brushes last. Sables are essential for portrait painting, but an assortment of brush shapes is not necessary. The artist may begin with two or three of each type. I purchase the best quality sables for blending and detail although synthetic sables would be a suitable cheaper alternative. Avoid inferior brushes that have no springiness to the bristles. For impasto effects and blocking in large areas of colour, I will purchase stiff brushes from a DIY store. The picture shows the implements I have used for most portraits. From the left, a palette knife, a no. 1 and 3 round sable, a fan brush, a no. 6 and 10 filbert and a large bristle.
The life of art brushes can be prolonged by avoiding industrial spirits such as turps. Between colour mixing, I will sometimes wipe excess paint onto a rag rather than swill in spirits, but when doing so, will always use low odour artist’s thinners such as Sansador. At the end of the session, I will massage the bristles against a bar of soap (reserved for this purpose) and run under a hot tap. Once the water runs clear, dry and then smooth a little Vaseline along