Transitioning from your sketch in an acrylic portrait can be difficult. 

In this video tutorial, I want to show you how to set the stage for a painting with luminosity, by using light glazes.

Glazes are simply mixtures of paint and clear medium (matte medium) and usually at least 50% medium to paint ratio. By building them up slowly, you can steer the portrait in the right direction, incrementally.

You will see how color is applied to the entire painting, and it starts coming alive, even if slowly.

It’s a different way to look at painting. I’ll show you how I do it in this video, using this recent 8″ x 10″ commissioned portrait as an example…

What is the best way to start an acrylic portrait?

Do you just begin with a white canvas, and fully paint everything from left to right, as you would in a drawing?

That’s how I used to paint, until I learned the glazing technique. I would painstakingly render every detail, and move across the surface of the canvas. But I always had a lot of white canvas staring me in the face.

After learning the glazing technique, instead, I could begin to slowly develop the portrait, like an Polaroid photograph.

Psychologically, it felt less intimidating. And it was fun to watch the process of the painting methodically taking shape.

In this video tutorial today, I’m going to show you how I begin my painting–what colors I use, where I put them and why, using this 16″ x 20″ commissioned portrait of three children…