If you’ve ever admired the work of the masters, like Leonardo daVinci, you probably have an understanding and appreciation of oil portraits. Like other mediums and subjects, oils have their own characteristics. This mostly comes with the textures that the medium enables the artist to explore in. Oil portraits are also able to convey a certain look from their subjects.
You can dabble in your own portrait painting. You might not be able to produce a Mona Lisa, but with practice, tools, and the right attitude, you will be able to produce your own oil portraits masterpiece.
What you need:
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Canvas (affixed to a frame)
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Easel
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Paintbrushes
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Oil paints
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Palette
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Acrylic base
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Model or source image
Timing. The best time of the day to produce an oil portrait is either in the early morning or late afternoon. Even when you are indoors, harsh light from the sun outside, or artificial lighting, often results in drab portraits, with squinting models and small pupils. Have your model sit by a large window, where the light can hit her from one side. Or if you are painting from a picture, attach the picture on the wall. Photographers call the concept of using natural lighting from windows the “north light” effect.
Organize your palette. Squeeze out adequate amounts of paint along the edges of your palette. For a portrait, you would usually need black, white, blue, yellow, crimson, raw sienna and green. You will need to make a few mixtures, so you can arrive at colors that approximate the subject’s skin tone.
