Realistic Acrylic Portrait School

Archive Monthly Archives: March 2023

How to Add Highlights to Background Trees in Your Acrylic Portrait

How to Add Highlights to Background Trees in Your Acrylic Portrait

How do you get rid of the pencil lines from the sketch? We’ll cover that too. 

In this video, I’ll show you how to add highlights and depth to the background of your portrait, especially if it’s trees.

Specifically, we will be diffusing the edges of the tree line and blending it into the sky. 

Let me show you how to do it, in this real-time tutorial video, with explanations of what I’m painting and why.

 

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Read more about how to paint a portrait that you can surely be proud of!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this video. Please share it with your friends and family. Let me know if you have any further questions. I’ll greatly help you.

If you’d like to learn more, sign up for my free email tips and video class today.

Learn How to Paint Acrylic Portraits With My Free Mini-Video Course!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this tutorial and watch the video. That means a lot to me.  I hope you find it very helpful in your portrait painting.  

 

Yours for Better Portraits,

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P.S. Did you find this post helpful or encouraging? If so, send it on ahead! Let others know with the share buttons below. I’d love to hear your comments. Thank you so much! Also, do you have a question on acrylic portrait painting you’d like answered? Let me know, and I’d be happy to help!

 

Painting a Grisaille in Acrylic

Painting a Grisaille in Acrylic—Using Titanium White Highlights over Dark Brown

I finished up the dark brown glazes over my portrait of Paul the Apostle praying using raw umber dark, trying to emulate a Caravaggio (tenebrism chiaroscuro) approach to the painting.

Now it’s time to add the titanium white highlights to build up something like a grisaille.

I don’t think I’ve ever done anything quite like this before, so it will be fun to see what happens! Watch the video, enjoy the journey, and I hope that this will spark some ideas for you in your acrylic painting. And also to try new things!

We’re continuing on painting a grisaille with titanium white highlights on top of my portrait of Paul the Apostle praying. My goal is to use a similar (though not identical) approach to what Caravaggio does in his tenebrism chiaroscuro works.

In the last video, I did a raw umber dark glaze over the entire painting to give it a ground or a tone to work out of. In this video. I’ll show you how to add white highlights to the clothing—we’ll do a lot of work on folds and creases—and then the hands. Naturally, the hands are important, because they convey the emotion, the intensity of his prayer. So we want to make sure we give them the proper attention.

 

Watch my tutorial to learn more about painting a grisaille highlights in acrylic.

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Read more about how to paint a portrait that you can surely be proud of!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this video. Please share it with your friends and family. Let me know if you have any further questions. I’ll greatly help you.

If you’d like to learn more, sign up for my free email tips and video class today.

Learn How to Paint Acrylic Portraits With My Free Mini-Video Course!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this tutorial and watch the video. That means a lot to me.  I hope you find it very helpful in your portrait painting.  

Yours for Better Portraits,

Signature_200dpi_sm.jpg

P.S. Did you find this post helpful or encouraging? If so, send it on ahead! Let others know with the share buttons below. I’d love to hear your comments. Thank you so much! Also, do you have a question on acrylic portrait painting you’d like answered? Let me know, and I’d be happy to help!

 

How to Block in Dark Values on a Chiaroscuro Acrylic Painting

How to Block in Dark Values on a Chiaroscuro Acrylic Painting

I’d like to share with you the next step on the Caravaggio-style painting I did of Paul the Apostle praying…adding in the dark values.

Last time, we finished up with the grisaille and white detail work on top.

So now that we have the mid-tone and highlights, the next step is to increase the contrast by adding in the dark values. And it builds on top of that structure.

Watch my free video tutorial to learn more about how to block in dark values on a chiaroscuro acrylic painting.

LEARN MORE

Read more about how to paint a portrait that you can surely be proud of!

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this video. Please share it with your friends and family. Let me know if you have any further questions. I’ll greatly help you.

 

If you’d like to learn more, sign up for my free email tips and video class today.

Learn How to Paint Acrylic Portraits With My Free Mini-Video Course!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this tutorial and watch the video. That means a lot to me.  I hope you find it very helpful in your portrait painting.  

 

Yours for Better Portraits,

Signature_200dpi_sm.jpg

P.S. Did you find this post helpful or encouraging? If so, send it on ahead! Let others know with the share buttons below. I’d love to hear your comments. Thank you so much! Also, do you have a question on acrylic portrait painting you’d like answered? Let me know, and I’d be happy to help!

 

 

Painting a Caravaggio-Style Tenebrism Glaze in Acrylic

Painting a Caravaggio-Style Tenebrism Glaze in Acrylic

Add a lighter values on top of the dark instead of carving around them.

Did I ruin it? Painting a Caravaggio-Style Tenebrism Glaze in Acrylic.

I was working on my acrylic portrait of Paul the Apostle praying in my usual way and then… I decided to add a Caravaggio-style tenebrism glaze on top. Why? Well, I already had blocked in the major distinctions in value, but I wanted it to have more depth, and thought maybe a different approach than what I usually do would be fun. Since the image overall is quite dark, I think this approach will work best.

Rather than carving around the lighter values, I can build them up on top of the dark. And this is the way Caravaggio did his dramatic chiaroscuro masterpieces. Why not follow in his footsteps? But who knows how it will turn out? (God does, but I sure don’t.) So, let me know…do you think I ruined it? 🙂

Painting a Caravaggio-Style Tenebrism Glaze in Acrylic

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Read more about how to paint a portrait that you can surely be proud of!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this video. Please share it with your friends and family. Let me know if you have any further questions. I’ll greatly help you.

If you’d like to learn more, sign up for my free email tips and video class today.

Learn How to Paint Acrylic Portraits With My Free Mini-Video Course!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this tutorial and watch the video. That means a lot to me.  I hope you find it very helpful in your portrait painting.  

 

Yours for Better Portraits,

Signature_200dpi_sm.jpg

P.S. Did you find this post helpful or encouraging? If so, send it on ahead! Let others know with the share buttons below. I’d love to hear your comments. Thank you so much! Also, do you have a question on acrylic portrait painting you’d like answered? Let me know, and I’d be happy to help!

 

How to Paint Dark, Wavy Hair in Your Acrylic Portrait

How to Paint Dark Wavy Hair in Your Acrylic Portrait

 I will show you the secrets of making dark hair look realistic, especially when it’s curled or wavy.

Mixing the right tint and the right value is key. Then, observing the shape of the distinction in value from your reference photo and rendering that form onto the canvas is the next step.

Let me show you how to do it in this video tutorial!

LEARN MORE

Read more about how to paint a portrait that you can surely be proud of!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this video. Please share it with your friends and family. Let me know if you have any further questions. I’ll greatly help you.

If you’d like to learn more, sign up for my free email tips and video class today.

Learn How to Paint Acrylic Portraits With My Free Mini-Video Course!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this tutorial and watch the video. That means a lot to me.  I hope you find it very helpful in your portrait painting.  

 

Yours for Better Portraits,

Signature_200dpi_sm.jpg

P.S. Did you find this post helpful or encouraging? If so, send it on ahead! Let others know with the share buttons below. I’d love to hear your comments. Thank you so much! Also, do you have a question on acrylic portrait painting you’d like answered? Let me know, and I’d be happy to help!

 

How to Convert a Tracing to Sketch

How to Convert a Tracing to Sketch

What do you do when you have to trace a portrait for a painting? Do you want to dive into the painting?

It’s not so easy. Let me illustrate, with this illustration of a book cover, why it is important to turn your tracing into sketches.

This is worth spending extra time to prepare for the painting process.

How to Convert a Tracing to a Sketch, Part #2

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Read more about how to paint a portrait that you can surely be proud of!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this video. Please share it with your friends and family. Let me know if you have any further questions. I’ll greatly help you.

If you’d like to learn more, sign up for my free email tips and video class today.

Learn How to Paint Acrylic Portraits With My Free Mini-Video Course!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this tutorial and watch the video. That means a lot to me.  I hope you find it very helpful in your portrait painting.  

Signature_200dpi_sm.jpg

Yours for Better Portraits,

P.S. Did you find this post helpful or encouraging? If so, send it on ahead! Let others know with the share buttons below. I’d love to hear your comments. Thank you so much! Also, do you have a question on acrylic portrait painting you’d like answered? Let me know, and I’d be happy to help!

How to Paint Foliage Using the Acrylic Glazing Technique

How to Paint Foliage Using the Acrylic Glazing Technique

How do you paint people are standing in front of trees and other foliage?

As portrait painters, we are often asked to paint images where people are standing in front of trees and other foliage. What colors do you use to paint them? What kind of brushes and what techniques does it take to make it look realistic?

Watch my tutorial to learn more about how to paint foliage using the acrylic glazing technique.

LEARN MORE

Read more about how to paint a portrait that you can surely be proud of!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this video. Please share it with your friends and family. Let me know if you have any further questions. I’ll greatly help you.

 

If you’d like to learn more, sign up for my free email tips and video class today.

Learn How to Paint Acrylic Portraits With My Free Mini-Video Course!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this tutorial and watch the video. That means a lot to me.  I hope you find it very helpful in your portrait painting.  

 

Yours for Better Portraits,

Signature_200dpi_sm.jpg

P.S. Did you find this post helpful or encouraging? If so, send it on ahead! Let others know with the share buttons below. I’d love to hear your comments. Thank you so much! Also, do you have a question on acrylic portrait painting you’d like answered? Let me know, and I’d be happy to help!

 

How to Trace for an Accurate Portrait Sketch

How to Trace for an Accurate Portrait Sketch

Did you know that tracing doesn’t always result in a high-quality portrait? And it won’t even guarantee an excellent sketch?

I’ll show you how to do it. Many artists trace for their portraits and paintings. It’s just the way it is. Although I spent years doing freehand sketching and got pretty good at it, As a professional artist, illustrator, and instructor, I am going to be very open with you about my methods. I DO use a projector to trace from time to time, to save time.

However… Did you know that tracing will not guarantee a great portrait? Did you know that it won’t even guarantee a great sketch? In this video, I’ll show you HOW to trace effectively. When you’re done tracing, you still have more work to do, if you want an accurate, detailed sketch that will serve you well as an excellent foundation to paint upon.

But tracing the right way will help. Let me show you how in this video. I’m using a 16″ x 20″ commissioned book cover illustration of Paul the Apostle praying as an example. I’d like to demonstrate how to trace with your acrylic portrait, so we’ll be using an overhead projector with a transparency.

It’s not cheating to trace and I have a video on that if you’re more curious about my thoughts on tracing just to say, I’ve done freehand sketching for many years, but sometimes, I just like to trace, because I want to get into the painting process without spending so much time freehand sketching or even gridding.

Watch my tutorial to learn more about how to trace for an accurate portrait sketch.

LEARN MORE

Read more about how to paint a portrait that you can surely be proud of!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this video. Please share it with your friends and family. Let me know if you have any further questions. I’ll greatly help you.

If you’d like to learn more, sign up for my free email tips and video class today.

Learn How to Paint Acrylic Portraits With My Free Mini-Video Course!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this tutorial and watch the video. That means a lot to me.  I hope you find it very helpful in your portrait painting.  

 

Yours for Better Portraits,

Signature_200dpi_sm.jpg

P.S. Did you find this post helpful or encouraging? If so, send it on ahead! Let others know with the share buttons below. I’d love to hear your comments. Thank you so much! Also, do you have a question on acrylic portrait painting you’d like answered? Let me know, and I’d be happy to help!

 

 

 

Painting the Eyes

Painting the Eyes in your Acrylic Portrait

How small nuances make a big difference in an acrylic portrait?

When you’re painting small faces in an acrylic portrait, every little brush stroke can make a difference.

✅ The eyes are one of the most difficult parts to paint in an acrylic portrait because they need to appear realistic. But sometimes all it takes is one small nuance to make a big difference!

Watch my tutorial to learn about more on painting the eyes and how small nuances make a big difference in an acrylic portrait.

LEARN MORE

Read more about how to paint a portrait that you can surely be proud of!

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this video. Please share it with your friends and family. Let me know if you have any further questions. I’ll greatly help you.

If you’d like to learn more, sign up for my free email tips and video class today.

Learn How to Paint Acrylic Portraits With My Free Mini-Video Course!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this tutorial and watch the video. That means a lot to me.  I hope you find it very helpful in your portrait painting.  

 

Yours for Better Portraits,

Signature_200dpi_sm.jpg

P.S. Did you find this post helpful or encouraging? If so, send it on ahead! Let others know with the share buttons below. I’d love to hear your comments. Thank you so much! Also, do you have a question on acrylic portrait painting you’d like answered? Let me know, and I’d be happy to help!

 

 

 

Adding Raw Umber Dark and Ultramarine Blue to Battle Scene Painting

Adding Raw Umber Dark and Ultramarine Blue to Battle Scene Painting

I am working on the 30 x 40 battle scene of Moses, Aaron and Hur again and I’m adding some raw umber dark and ultramarine blue glazes.

Also, I’m talking about going through trials and difficulties and how prayer can make a difference. Watch over my shoulder as I paint and I hope this helps and encourages you! I’m going to demonstrate you how I make my paintings using the acrylic glazing technique.

I’m going to take some raw umber dark here and some ultramarine blue, and we’re just going to start darkening the values here, as you can see. I’m not sure, I might even put a glaze or something over the whole thing to really convey that essence. To convey the essence of light emerging from darkness, I’ve been going over some of Caravaggio’s paintings and studying his technique, as well as seeing how he did more of a sepia toned background.

Watch the video below to learn more about adding raw umber dark and ultramarine blue to battle scene painting.

LEARN MORE:

Read more about how to paint a portrait that you can surely be proud of!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this video. Please share it with your friends and family. Let me know if you have any further questions. I’ll greatly help you.

 

If you’d like to learn more, sign up for my free email tips and video class today.

Learn How to Paint Acrylic Portraits With My Free Mini-Video Course!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this tutorial and watch the video. That means a lot to me.  I hope you find it very helpful in your portrait painting.  

 

Yours for Better Portraits,

 

P.S. Did you find this post helpful or encouraging? If so, send it on ahead! Let others know with the share buttons below. I’d love to hear your comments. Thank you so much! Also, do you have a question on acrylic portrait painting you’d like answered? Let me know, and I’d be happy to help!