How to Finish a Portrait with Acrylic Glazing Technique

Bring out the best in your portrait with these glazing techniques

Introduction

The final steps of a portrait painting are where the magic happens. By using the acrylic glazing technique, you can add depth, warmth, and realism to your portrait, making it truly come alive. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process on how to finish a portrait with acrylic glazing technique to enhance shadows, highlights, and fine details.

Understanding Acrylic Glazing

Acrylic glazing involves applying thin, transparent layers of paint over dry areas of your painting. This technique allows you to build up color gradually, creating a rich and luminous effect that can’t be achieved with opaque paint alone. Glazes are especially useful in portrait painting for refining skin tones, adding depth to shadows, and creating smooth transitions between colors.

Preparing Your Glazes

Before you begin glazing, prepare your paint by mixing it with a glazing medium. The medium thins the paint without losing its adhesive properties, making it perfect for creating translucent layers. For this portrait, you’ll primarily use colors like raw umber dark, burnt sienna, and a touch of phthalo green to cool down certain areas.

Step-by-Step Guide to Finishing a Portrait with Glazes

1. Darkening Shadows

Start by assessing the dark values on your portrait. Use a mixture of raw umber dark and burnt sienna to deepen the shadows on the face. Apply the glaze with a round brush, focusing on areas like the temples, under the eyes, and along the sides of the nose. Use a glazing medium to blend the edges of the glaze into the surrounding areas, ensuring a smooth transition.

2. Refining the Nose and Mouth

The nose and mouth are crucial in capturing the subject’s likeness. Darken the bridge of the nose with a diluted mix of raw umber dark, and add subtle shadows to the sides of the nose and under the lips. For a realistic touch, use a small amount of phthalo green in the shadow under the nose to achieve a cooler tone.

3. Enhancing Contrast

To make your portrait pop, increase the contrast between the subject and the background. This can be achieved by darkening the edges of the face with a thin glaze, especially around the chin and jawline. This step helps to create a more defined separation between the head and the background, adding depth to the painting.

3. Highlighting and Adding Ambiguity

Sometimes, less is more. For a realistic effect, you don’t want every edge to be sharply defined. Mix white with a bit of Indian yellow and organic red orange to create a subtle highlight glaze. Apply this to areas like the chin and forehead, but blend it out to maintain some level of ambiguity. This approach adds to the natural appearance of the portrait, making the skin look softer and more lifelike.

4. Final Touches on the Eyes and Ears

The eyes are the focal point of any portrait. Gently darken the tear ducts and intensify the shadows around the eyes using a very thin glaze. Similarly, add depth to the ear canals and refine the mid-tones in these areas with a burnt sienna and raw umber mix. Use a dabbing technique to softly blend these glazes, ensuring that the transitions are smooth and natural.

5. Adjusting the Overall Tone

After applying the initial glazes, step back and assess the overall tone of the portrait. If any areas need to be lighter or warmer, apply another glaze with the appropriate color mix. For example, if the face needs more warmth, add a light glaze of organic red orange, diluted with a glazing medium.

6. Adding Subtle Color Variations

Introduce subtle color variations by mixing a small amount of red into your glaze and applying it to areas like the cheeks and lips. This adds a natural flush to the skin, enhancing the realism of your portrait. Remember to blend the edges well to avoid harsh lines.

7. Blending for Realism

Use your finger or a soft brush to blend the glazes further, especially when working on areas where the new glaze color is similar to the underlying paint. This technique helps to create a seamless blend, which is crucial for achieving a realistic skin texture.

8. Final Review and Adjustments

Once you’ve applied all the necessary glazes, take a step back and review your work. Look for any areas that might need additional shading or highlighting. Make any final adjustments with small, controlled glazes, focusing on maintaining balance and harmony in your portrait.

Tips and Techniques

Use a light touch: When applying glazes, it’s better to build up color gradually. Start with a very thin layer and add more if needed.
Blend while wet: Glazing works best when the paint is still wet, so work quickly to blend edges before the glaze dries.
Control your brush: The angle and pressure of your brush can create different effects. Experiment with holding your brush parallel to the canvas for broader strokes or perpendicular for more detailed work.
Keep your colors clean: Make sure to clean your brush thoroughly between colors to prevent muddying your glazes.

Finishing a portrait with the acrylic glazing technique requires patience and a keen eye for detail. By applying thin, transparent layers of paint, you can achieve a depth and realism that bring your portrait to life. With practice, you’ll master this technique and elevate your portrait paintings to a professional level. Keep experimenting with different color mixes and glazing techniques, and you’ll discover endless possibilities for creating stunning, lifelike portraits.

LEARN MORE

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 in 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 Adjust Skin Tones in Hardboard Portrait

Perfecting skin tones: A step-by-step guide for hardboard portraits

Introduction:

Achieving realistic skin tones is one of the most challenging aspects of portrait painting. Whether you’re working on a canvas or hardboard, the process requires a delicate balance of color, shading, and blending. In this tutorial, we’ll explore the techniques for adjusting skin tones in a hardboard portrait, focusing on the nuances that bring a portrait to life. This step-by-step guide will walk you through the process, from selecting the right colors to blending them seamlessly into your portrait.

The Importance of Skin Tone in Portrait Painting

Skin tones are not just about applying the right colors; they involve understanding the light source, the subject’s unique complexion, and how different layers interact. In a hardboard portrait, these factors become even more critical due to the smooth surface and how it reacts to paint. Mastering skin tone adjustment can elevate your work from good to exceptional, capturing the subject’s essence with vibrancy and realism.

Preparing Your Palette: The Right Colors

Before diving into the painting process, it’s essential to prepare your palette with the right colors. In this tutorial, we used a combination of titanium white, raw sienna, perylene red, and indian yellow to achieve a realistic skin tone.

Titanium White: Used to lighten the skin tone, it must be balanced carefully to avoid muddiness.
Raw Sienna: Adds a warm, earthy tone to the mix.
Perylene Red: Introduces a subtle red undertone, essential for achieving a natural look.
Indian Yellow: Provides a vibrant warmth that enhances the overall skin tone.

Step 1: Mixing the Base Skin Tone

Start by mixing your base skin tone. Combine titanium white with a touch of raw sienna and perylene red. The goal is to create a color that’s slightly lighter than the existing skin tone on your portrait. This will allow you to build layers without overwhelming the underlying tones.

Tip: Test the color on a white card before applying it to the portrait. This helps you see how it will appear on the hardboard surface and make adjustments as needed.

Step 2: Applying the Base Tone

Using a flat brush, apply the base tone to the areas of the face that need adjustment. Work in small sections, applying the paint with light, even strokes. The key here is to apply the color thinly, allowing the underpainting to show through and create depth.

Technique: Apply the paint in various directions to avoid harsh lines and ensure a smooth blend. Lightly feather the edges with your finger to soften the transition between tones.

Step 3: Layering and Glazing

Once the base tone is applied, it’s time to add depth with glazing. Mix a glaze using your base tone and a bit more perylene red and indian yellow. This glaze should be slightly darker than the base tone, adding warmth and richness to the skin.

Apply the glaze over areas that need more definition, such as the cheeks and around the eyes. Glazing allows you to build up color gradually, creating a realistic skin tone that has depth and dimension.

Tip: Allow each layer to dry before applying the next. This prevents the colors from blending too much and becoming muddy.

Step 4: Highlighting and Detailing

With the base tones and glazes in place, it’s time to add highlights. Mix titanium white with a small amount of indian yellow to create a vibrant highlight color. Apply this to the high points of the face, such as the bridge of the nose, the tops of the cheeks, and the forehead.

Technique: Use a small, round brush for precision when applying highlights. Blend the edges slightly to ensure they don’t appear too harsh.

Step 5: Adjusting the Shadows

To create a realistic portrait, the shadows must be adjusted to match the new skin tones. Mix a shadow color using raw sienna, perylene red, and a touch of titanium white. Apply this to areas that need deepening, such as under the cheekbones, around the jawline, and in the folds of the skin.

Tip: Be cautious with the shadows. It’s easy to overdo them, so start with a light application and build up gradually.

Step 6: Final Touches

After the main adjustments are complete, step back and assess the portrait. Are there areas where the skin tone needs more blending? Do the highlights and shadows look natural? Make any necessary adjustments, using the techniques discussed.

Technique: A soft, dry brush can be used to blend areas that appear too harsh. Lightly go over the transitions between colors to smooth them out and achieve a seamless look.

Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Muddiness: If the skin tone appears muddy, it may be due to over-mixing or applying too many layers too quickly. To fix this, apply a glaze of pure color (like indian yellow or perylene red) to restore vibrancy.
Harsh Transitions: If the transitions between colors are too harsh, blend them with a clean, dry brush or use a soft glaze to smooth out the edges.

Adjusting skin tones in a hardboard portrait requires patience and precision, but the results are worth the effort. By carefully selecting your colors, applying them in thin layers, and using glazing techniques, you can achieve a realistic and vibrant skin tone that brings your portrait to life. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or just starting, these techniques will help you master the art of portrait painting on hardboard.

LEARN MORE

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!

How to Paint Beard Hair Easily in Your Acrylic

/ Facial Features Flesh Tones Glazing
/ By Matt Philleo

Learn the art of painting beard hair with this simple and effective technique

Painting facial hair, such as beards, can be one of the more challenging details in portrait art. It may seem daunting to capture every individual hair in a realistic way, but it doesn’t have to be. In this guide, we’ll break down an easy method for painting beard hair using acrylics that doesn’t involve painstakingly painting each hair strand. Instead, we’ll focus on blocking in colors and values, giving the appearance of detail while keeping the process simple and effective.

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist, this approach will help you add convincing realism to your acrylic portraits without frustration.

Step-by-Step Guide to Painting Beard Hair

1. Start with a Base Color

The key to painting facial hair, like a beard, is to begin with a base color that matches the underlying skin tones and beard shade. Then don’t worry about painting individual strands right away. Instead, follow this process:

Mix raw umber as a base for the beard.
Add a touch of alizarine crimson to introduce a slight warmth, and include titanium white to ensure the paint covers the surface effectively.
For cooler tones in the beard, mix a bit of ultramarine blue into your base to add depth and shadow to your mix.

When you have your base color ready, load it onto a flat edge brush and block in the general area of the beard. This block of color will act as the foundation for the beard hair. Focus on the overall value instead of trying to capture individual strands. This method prevents the painting from looking too busy or artificial.

2. Block in the Values

Instead of painting each beard’s hair, think in terms of values. Then block in the light and shadow areas of the beard, which will provide the necessary contrast and depth.

Use your cool-toned mixture to paint the stubble or full beard, applying the color in sections.
Blend as you go to create a soft transition between the skin and the beard.

The key here is to focus on where the light hits the face and then how it interacts with the beard hair. The shadows and highlights will imply the presence of hair, of course, without needing to meticulously paint each one.

3. Create Realism with Minimal Detail

Once your base layers and value blocks are in place, you can add a few finishing touches to suggest individual hairs. Use a detail brush sparingly, picking out just a few strands of hair in key places. Because this technique gives the illusion of individual hairs without overwhelming the painting with too much detail.

In smaller portraits, like 8×10 canvases, it’s unnecessary to paint each hair meticulously. Because simplicity often works best in creating a realistic appearance. Focus on the main areas of light and shadow to convey the overall texture of the beard.

Techniques to Improve Beard Hair Painting

1. Use Color Blocks to Imply Detail

The most efficient way to paint beard hair in acrylic portraits is to rely on blocks of color rather than individual strokes. Because this method implies detail, which can trick the viewer’s eye into perceiving realism without overwhelming the painting with unnecessary detail.

2. Choose the Right Brush

For the base layer, use a flat edge brush to cover larger areas and then create smooth transitions between skin and hair. When adding a few fine hairs for detail, switch to a small, pointed detail brush for better control.

3. Blend Your Colors

Blending is crucial when painting facial hair. You don’t want the beard to look too stark or separated from the face. Softly blend the edges of the beard into the skin tone, paying attention to areas of transition where light hits the skin through the hair.

4. Focus on Contrast

Realism in facial hair is often achieved by strong contrasts between light and shadow. Beard hair, especially in portraits, reflects light differently than other parts of the face. Make sure to adjust your highlights and shadows accordingly.

Use more titanium white to brighten up areas where the light hits the beard.
Deepen the shadows with your ultramarine blue mix, especially near the edges of the jawline.

Tips for a Realistic Beard in Acrylics

Work in Layers: Build the beard gradually, adding more color and depth in layers as you progress.
Don’t Overwork It: Less is more when painting beard hair. Don’t feel the need to paint every strand. A few details go a long way.
Play with Texture: Facial hair, especially beards, has texture. Try lightly dry brushing to simulate this texture without going into too much fine detail.
Observe the Reference: Always refer back to your source image. Look at how the beard flows, where the shadows fall, and how the hair interacts with the face.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Overdetailing: Beginners often make the mistake of trying to paint every individual hair, which can result in a cluttered and unnatural look. Instead, focus on the big picture: light, shadow, and overall shape.
Incorrect Brush Choice: Using a brush that’s too large or too small can cause issues. A flat edge brush is best for blocking in large areas, while a fine detail brush works for final touches.
Too Many Highlights: Over-highlighting the beard can make it appear unrealistic. Use highlights sparingly to ensure they mimic how light naturally interacts with facial hair.

Conclusion

Learning how to paint beard hair in an acrylic portrait can elevate the realism in your work without requiring an excessive amount of time or detail. By focusing on values, layering colors, and adding minimal detail, you can create the illusion of beard hair that looks natural and lifelike.

Remember, painting doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes, simplicity achieves the best results. Experiment with this technique in your next portrait, and you’ll be amazed at how easily you can paint realistic beard hair.

If you’d like to learn more tips and techniques for improving your acrylic portrait skills, check out our full-length tutorials at realisticacrylic.com and download my free mini course, & guide here. Happy painting!

LEARN MORE

I’d love to hear your thoughts about 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!

elpful or encouraging, would you send it on ahead? Let others know with the share buttons below. I’d love to hear your comments. Thank you so much!

[PORTRAIT CHALLENGE] Masterclass Lesson #8: Finishing Your Portrait Well

The Acrylic Portrait Painting Challenge Masterclass, Lesson #8, is out!

This is our FINAL lesson together.

It’s kind of sad to see the challenge drawing to a close. As I write this, it’s been an entire month since I started this challenge on April 6, 2020.

My goal was to create a way for artists to overcome the challenges of being in COVID-19 lockdown, create something beautiful with their time, and grow their skills as artists.

Many, many have risen to the challenge and done exactly that. If you’re reading this, and you’ve taken the challenge; you’ve gone through steps 1-7, I’m so proud of you! It’s not easy to paint a realistic portrait in acrylic, let alone during a quarantine. But you did it! And you’ve encouraged many others along the way.

Acrylic Portrait painting challenge portrait from photo

Because of that, you are a better artist, and have grown in character as a human being.

Your portrait —hopefully—is nearly done. What next? How do we “bring it home”, so to speak?

Let me show you, below!

Six Steps to Finishing Your Portrait Well

STEP ONE: Double-check the tonal values. Use my Value Checker tool for that.

STEP TWO: Double-check and add more detail to the eyes.

STEP THREE: Add vibrance to areas where certain shadows and highlights meet

STEP FOUR: Refine the shadows

STEP FIVE: Redefine the edges of your subject and objects

STEP SIX: Paint pin-point highlights on the face

When is the painting done?

Watch the video to find out…

[PORTRAIT CHALLENGE] Masterclass Lesson #8: Finishing Your Portrait Well

Is it too late to join the challenge? No, not at all. This challenge is meant to be ongoing—something you can do at your own pace. The lessons are free and they aren’t going anywhere.

If not, register below for FREE and I’ll send you:

a downloadable/ printable”Welcome Kit” with a Supplies List and a Palette Color Layout Guide.
high-resolution images of the photo we’ll be painting from for this challenge.
each new lesson that comes out in this Masterclass series.
a link to my private Facebook group, where you can do this challenge with other artists, get feedback and help on your portrait, and not feel alone.

REGISTER TODAY. It’s not too late to enter!

Register for the Challenge!

Where do we go from here?

I am so happy that you have done this challenge with me and hundreds of other artists. I give you a virtual high-five for the effort and dedication you have put in.

First, I give God the glory and thanks for entrusting all of us a talent to use. Next, I thank you and the other artists for taking your time and investing it into yourself as an artist and into others’ lives to encourage them.

You’ve left great comments for each other and your building skills to be able to paint a portrait you can take pleasure in and others can too.

This is what art is about. It transcends a piece of cotton canvas stretched on a wood frame, with plastic polymer resin on it. In the hands of a skilled painter, it becomes something beautiful that can last forever.

When we touch lives, bring hope and encouragement both in the creation and in the giving or selling of the art, we are doing something that has the potential to last for eternity!

So what we all have done in this group, by God’s grace, is amazing. And I believe it is just the start! 🙂

If you would like to work with me more closely, so I can personally help you become the portrait artist you’d like to be, be sure to watch my invitation at the end of the video. Whatever you decide, thank you so much for taking part in this challenge and may God richly bless your talent, and multiply it many times over!

Yours for Better Portraits,

If you found this post helpful or encouraging, would you send it on ahead? Let others know with the share buttons below. I’d love to hear your comments. Thank you so much!

Let me know if you have any questions about the challenge that I didn’t answer. Leave your question in the comments below and I’ll get back to you!

5 Steps on How to Paint a Vibrant Acrylic Portrait

Learn the classical glazing technique for depth and luminosity

Acrylic painting is an exciting medium known for its versatility, but achieving the depth and vibrancy often associated with oil paintings can seem challenging. However, by employing the classical glazing technique, a method favored by old masters like Rembrandt, Titian, and Vermeer then you can produce rich, luminous results with acrylics. This blog post will guide you through 5 essential steps to create a vibrant acrylic portrait using this time-tested method.

This tutorial shows the entire process of painting a portrait. Here are the steps I show in this tutorial:

Start with a Detailed Sketch.
Apply the Initial Glaze Layers
Layer and Build Gradation
Introduce Vibrant Colors
Focus on Nuances and Details

1. Start with a Detailed Sketch

Every masterpiece begins with a solid foundation, and in portrait painting, that foundation is the sketch. Before you start adding color to your canvas, take time to create a detailed and accurate sketch of your subject. For this project, an 11×14 portrait of three girls in a park serves as an example.

By using a sepia-tone prismacolor colored pencil, you can establish proportions and likeness. Accuracy in this stage helps set the stage for a calm and confident painting process. Once your sketch is ready, seal it with a clear matte medium. This acts as a protective layer, ensuring that the pencil lines remain intact as you begin adding paint.

Tip: Use a flat brush (¾ inch to 1 inch wide) to apply the matte medium. Make sure the application is smooth and even, allowing it to dry thoroughly before proceeding to the next step.

2. Apply the Initial Glaze Layers

The heart of this painting method lies in glazing, where thin, transparent layers of paint are applied over one another to build depth and richness. Unlike traditional opaque acrylic painting, the classical glazing technique requires a mixture of 95% matte medium to 5% paint. This creates a very light wash that enables you to gradually build colors without overwhelming the canvas.

Begin by mixing raw umber dark with ultramarine blue to create lifelike skin tones and shadow areas. These first layers will be almost imperceptible, but they provide a strong base for the layers that follow.

Tip: The first layers of glaze should be incredibly light. This allows for adjustments in color or value without the need to paint over mistakes. The glazing method helps avoid the common frustration of muddy colors often encountered in acrylic painting.

3. Layer and Build Gradation

Once the initial glaze is applied, it’s time to focus on layering. As you build up more layers, you’ll notice how the painting starts to take on a more vibrant and realistic appearance. The goal here is to create a seamless transition between light and dark values, blending tones smoothly to replicate the natural shading found in your reference photo.

In this step, more raw umber dark and ultramarine blue are used to deepen the shadows on the forehead and hair. This layering process helps achieve the subtle gradation required for realistic portraits.

Technique: As you layer, ensure that each glaze is thin and transparent. Too much paint in a single layer can cause the painting to look heavy and lose the delicate transparency that glazing provides.

4. Introduce Vibrant Colors

To make your portrait truly vibrant, it’s essential to introduce bold colors into the glazing process. In this example, a dash of Liquitex hot pink was added to the dress to intensify the color and give it a glowing effect. The key is to use these bright colors sparingly, applying them in thin layers so that they blend harmoniously with the existing hues.

When applying glazes to areas like the clothing, make sure to leave the white areas exposed. This technique, known as “preserving the luminosity,” ensures that highlights remain bright and eye-catching, adding to the overall vibrancy of the portrait.

Tip: When adding vibrant glazes, thin the paint with medium and apply it cautiously. This helps prevent overpowering the existing layers while enhancing the color saturation.

5. Focus on Nuances and Details

The final step in this process involves refining the smaller details and nuances that bring a portrait to life. For example, the highlights in the hair, shadows in the creases of clothing, and the subtle changes in skin tone around the eyes require careful attention.

In the final layers, you can also experiment with a semi-opaque mixture, using titanium white, raw umber dark, and organic red-orange to add warmth and depth to the skin tones. With each new layer, the portrait takes on more life, depth, and realism. At this stage, it’s important to use more opaque layers sparingly, as glazing is best suited for large areas, while more detailed parts, such as fingernails or eyes, may benefit from a slightly thicker application of paint.

Technique: If you notice that certain areas appear too flat or lack depth, consider adding a dark glaze to emphasize the shadows. Because mixing ultramarine blue with raw umber dark creates a rich, deep tone perfect for refining these darker areas without relying on black paint.

Conclusion: Patience Is Key

As you add each layer of glaze, then always remember that patience is vital. Because acrylic glazing requires multiple layers, sometimes ten or more to achieve the desired depth and luminosity. Each layer builds upon the last, contributing to the portrait’s final vibrancy. While it may take time, the results are well worth the effort.

By following these five steps, you can create a stunning acrylic portrait with vibrant colors and lifelike depth, all while employing the classical glazing technique favored by the old masters.

For further resources and guides, visit realisticacrylic.com and check out my free courses to enhance your acrylic painting journey.

LEARN MORE

I’d love to hear your thoughts about 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!

acrylic portrait painting while camping at yurt

Portrait Painting of a Veteran at the Yurt

/ Flesh Tones Glazing Shading Skin Tones Uncategorized Video Tutorial
/ By Matt Philleo
/ 4 COMMENTS

Is it possible to do portrait painting while you’re away from your home, your usual studio area?

This was something I’ve always wanted to do: create art while camping. And for all the years I’ve gone camping, I’ve never been able to successfully do it.

But finally, at the end of June, my brother and I decided to go camping at a rustic yurt up in Cable, WI. Where is that? Let’s just say, it’s “way up north.” 🙂 And what is a yurt? It’s a round tent-like house, a permanent structure made of lattice wood, bound together with steel cable, and covered with fabric. We rented it through Airbnb for two days.

Acrylic portrait artist Matt Philleo ready to paint at a yurt in Cable, Wisconsin

We parked at the bottom of the hill and carried our gear up about a mile. We realized how out of shape we were! I also had my painting supplies: easel, palette, and brushes with me. In the middle of hiking and cooking, we decided to both do a little work: my brother wrote (he’s an author) and I painted.

I know. You’re probably thinking I should have painted the scenery up there, and yes, it was beautiful. But I had a commissioned portrait from a photo to get done: a painting of a veteran that served in the gulf war. And I love painting people, so it hardly seemed like work.

After bacon, eggs, and oatmeal for breakfast, it was time for painting.

Here is a video showing the beginning part of the process. In this video, I am basically blocking in the values with just raw umber dark and ultramarine blue. Of course, it’s all thinned out and made translucent with matte medium.

And then, here’s the next video in the process. Here I’m adding some color with burnt sienna, alizarine crimson and a few other colors. We’re starting to build up some skin tones. Also working on the flannel shirt. It takes a lot of layers to get it dark enough to look realistic!

After lunch, we hiked, and then came back and did more work: refining the shadows and making sure the likeness is accurate.

Sometimes your sketch just won’t cut it. It will get you about 80% of the way there, and you do the remaining 20% with paint. As you apply the paint, you can change the shape of the nose, the distance between the eyelids, lengthen the smile, etc., to adjust whatever might have been off during your sketch.

Of course, there is more to go on the painting. I’ll share the rest with you soon. I wasn’t able to finish it at the yurt, but I put in several hours. So, not only did I get to spend some great quality time with my brother, but I got to do some enjoyable work as well. After the big move, I finally feel like I’m getting into a regular groove of painting and posting tutorials. Thanks so much for your patience.

UPDATE: Here is the final video of this portrait, painted at my regular studio…

And a photo of it…

I really enjoyed painting this for the client, putting all the elements–the map of Iraq, the capitol building, and the people together into one cohesive portrait that I hope will be a cherished keepsake for the family for years to come.

I hope this painting has encouraged you and given you some ideas to use in your own portrait painting. I would love to help you learn to paint portraits your very best. Let me know if I can be of more help to you in any way.

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 Oval Vignette Acrylic Portrait Timelapse

/ Flesh Tones Glazing Timelapse Tips and Techniques Video Tutorial
/ By Matt Philleo

Step-by-step techniques for an elegant oval vignette in acrylic portrait

Creating an acrylic portrait with an oval vignette style is an inspiring technique that allows your subject to stand out elegantly, adding focus and artistry. In this timelapse guide, I’ll walk you through how to achieve an oval vignette acrylic portrait using a unique glazing method. This technique helps you build depth, enhance color vibrancy, and create a finish that rivals the luminosity of oil paintings.

Understanding the Oval Vignette Technique

An oval vignette composition is a traditional approach that frames your subject in a subtle, softly blurred oval shape, gently drawing attention to the portrait’s focal point. This timeless style is ideal for achieving classic, professional results, whether you’re creating family portraits or a commissioned piece.

Step 1: Preparing Your Canvas with Initial Layers

To begin, prep the canvas with a light layer of matte medium and diluted paint. Use raw umber dark, ultramarine blue, and a dash of burnt sienna. This combination will set up foundational tones that help bring warmth and depth later on. Thin layers will be added progressively, each enhancing the portrait’s tonal structure.

Step 2: Blocking in Values and Colors

Blocking in your values provides a strong base for your portrait:

Start Light: Use thin washes of paint to gradually build values, beginning with the mid-tones.
Add Color with Glazing: Introduce alizarine crimson and phthalo green in thin layers for the skin, adding natural, warm undertones.
Maintain Balance: Rather than finishing one section entirely, work across the canvas, applying each color to corresponding areas simultaneously. This approach keeps the portrait harmonious.

Step 3: Building Depth with Glazing Layers

The glazing technique is key to creating a portrait that radiates depth and realism:

Multiple Layers: Up to 100 ultra-thin layers can be used to achieve a fully nuanced look.
Lighting Effects: The translucent quality of these layers allows light to reflect off the canvas, creating a sense of depth and vibrancy.
Oil-Like Finish: This glazing method adds a polish that can make acrylics resemble the look of oil paints, with soft transitions and a luminous finish.

Step 4: Enhancing Realism with Fine Details

As the portrait evolves, focus on adding detail:

Nuances in Features: To make eyes, lips, and hair appear lifelike, add details like eyelash shadows, fine lines in the lips, and highlights in the irises.
Gradual Shading: Build up shading in areas like the cheeks, nose, and forehead. A steady hand and attention to small value changes will achieve the realism you want.
Background and Clothing: Layer in small color adjustments to enhance textures, like the folds of clothing or woodwork in the background.

Step 5: Adding Highlights and Final Touches

In the final stages, highlights and refined details bring the portrait to completion:

Bright Highlights: Use titanium white mixed with matte medium to add precise highlights to areas like the nose, cheekbones, and chin.
Softened Borders: To emphasize the oval vignette, blend the edges softly with a semi-dry brush, ensuring a smooth transition from the background to the portrait.
Review Consistency: Check that all areas of the portrait have been equally developed. Avoid leaving any section overly detailed compared to others, maintaining a cohesive finish.

Tips and Techniques for Glazing Success

Patience is Key: Building 50-100 layers takes time, but this patience will bring richness and realism.
Use Matte Medium: It helps dilute the paint to the desired transparency, preserving color vibrancy without compromising texture.
Rotate Colors: Alternate between colors like raw umber, burnt sienna, and ultramarine blue to create depth and dimension.
Light Source Consideration: Adjust shading to reflect your portrait’s light source, helping facial features feel three-dimensional.
Avoid Overworking: While glazing layers add depth, too much reworking can muddy colors. Stick to thin, controlled applications.

Why Glazing Works for Acrylic Portraits

Glazing layers allow light to pass through, reflecting back and adding dimension. Each transparent layer builds on the one before, creating complex color variations. This effect gives the portrait an oil-like appearance, a finish that’s often praised for acrylics. The difference in visual depth between these layers keeps the painting from looking flat and enhances the vignette effect around your subject.

Common Challenges and Solutions

Colors Look Flat: This can happen if the layers are too thick. Thin out each layer with matte medium and add layers patiently to avoid oversaturation.
Difficulty with Vignette Edges: Keep edges soft by blending them with a nearly dry brush, creating that gentle fade that defines a vignette style.
Struggle with Skin Tones: Experiment with a mix of warm and cool shades like raw sienna, burnt sienna, and phthalo green, adjusting layers until the desired tone is achieved.

Final Thoughts

Creating an oval vignette acrylic portrait is a wonderful way to highlight your subject and create a stunning effect that draws the viewer’s eye. With glazing, you can achieve depth and richness that elevate your work and add a touch of timeless beauty. Try this technique on your next portrait to experience the difference it makes in achieving realism and sophistication.

For more tips on acrylic portrait painting, glazing methods, and tutorials on creating depth and realism, visit my site at realisticacrylic.com. This technique, along with many others, will enhance your skills and add a professional touch to your portraits.

Let me know how you enjoyed this video, and if you have any questions on acrylic portrait painting, I’ll be happy to help.

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12 Steps on How to Paint Realistic Skin Tones in Your Acrylic Portrait

/ Flesh Tones New Course Skin Tones Step-by-Step Tutorial
/ By Matt Philleo
/ 6 COMMENTS

Learn the art of skin tones: A step-by-step guide for realistic acrylic portraits

What do you MOST want to learn?

This is a question I asked the artists in my Facebook group. The #1 answer was skin tones.

So I decided to put together a 5-week live video class, showing the whole process of painting an acrylic portrait, step-by-step, concentrating on flesh tones.

Most people know me as the guy that does slow, methodical glazes. But in this series, I wanted to meet artists where they’re at and do the portrait in more of an opaque technique. We had a great response to the class, with about eighty students on board right away during the first lesson!

I decided to create a printable guide that shows what we covered during the classes, although obviously not in as much depth as you’d get out of watching 5 hours of video! I think you’ll find this guide helpful. This online tutorial is an adaptation of the guide, showing a portrait from a photo I painted of my wife. If you take the video course (now open for enrollment) it will complement it well, and give you something to keep next to your easel as you paint. It can stand on its own, too. If you put the techniques to practice, you’ll see improvement in your portrait painting, for sure.

Either way, enjoy this tutorial, and I look forward to teaching you more!

Step 1: Create a Basic Sketch

Paint Realistic Skin Tones in Your Acrylic Portrait — To begin your portrait, just fill in the outlines of the face. Don’t draw in the features. All you need is enough information to know where to block in the color. You can sketch it freehand if you’re comfortable with the process, or grid if necessary.

Step 2: Block in the Hair Color and Value

Although we are concentrating on skin tones, quickly blocking in the hair color and value frames the face. It will help us determine what colors to use for the skin tone, and make sure it is accurate. When you paint on top of plain white, you will think your skin tone is too dark, when in reality it’s not. We look for the predominant color in the hair. In this example, I’m using raw umber dark, and applying with a 3/4” -1” flat brush.

Step 3: Fill in the Skin Tone Base

In this step, I’m using a mixture of titanium white, burnt sienna, and organic red orange for the first, foundational skin tone layer. Make the paint as fluid as you can, by adding a little matte medium (10%) and brush quickly, just filling the whole area in.

Print off Your Own Guide to Paint Realistic Skin Tones in Acrylic

I created a handy reference guide that covers all the steps in this article in a 7 page PDF. You can download it right now, print it, and set it next to your easel, so you know exactly what colors, what techniques and what steps to take when you paint skin tones on your portrait. Download it below…

Download and Print the Skin Tones Guide

Step 4: Suggest the Features

Learn to paint realistic skin tones in your acrylic portrait

Now it’s time to get the fun part: actually painting in the facial features–the eyes, nose and mouth. But we don’t want to paint them too dark right away. Lightly “suggest” them in using a mixture of the skin tone base from the previous layer and burnt sienna. Painting the features this way at first will allow you to adjust them if necessary.

Step 5: Darken and Refine the Features

After the facial features dry, you can go over them with a darker color. Just add a little more burnt sienna for the eyebrows and nose. For the eyes, a bit of raw umber will cool down the color enough so that if the eyes are a different color than brown, you can easily adjust it. We’re not trying to dial in the exact eye color; rather, we’re just trying to ger the main shape and value established. For the lips, in this case, I’m using napthol red and burnt sienna, diluted a bit by the main flesh tone color.

Step 6: Block in the Mid-tone Shadows

Unless we add in shadows on the face, it will look flat. That is obvious. The trick is to use the right color and value. And then to place that tone in the right places to give the illusion of three dimensionality, In my example, I use a similar color to what I used for the previous step, and lightened it up just a bit with the main skin tone color, so it’s easy to control and doesn’t get too dark.

Step 7: Refine the Eyebrows

The eyebows up to this point look too thin. So what I’m doing here is creating a mixture of raw umber dark, alizarine crimson, raw sienna, and a touch of burnt sienna. Then, I carefully go over the eyebrow areas, and also thicken them up a bit too. You have to think of the eyebrows not just as hairs but also the shadow under the eye socket. What we’re doing is actually painting the base tone for the eyebrows. Then we go over with a darker color to suggest the hairs.

Tired of Muddy Colors?

Get my complete guide on painting skin tones, for free, and start mixing and blending realistic skin tones right away…

Download and Print the Skin Tones Guide

Step 8: Darken and Refine the Eyes

The eyes also need to get darker. So I take some raw umber dark, alizarine crimson and mix it into some of the skin tone base. Next, I paint that slowly with a small round brush, suggesting her eyelashes, eyeliner, and even the thickness of her eyelids.

Step 9: Turn the Form

“Turning the form” means we bring out the three-dimensionality of the facial structure by placing shading and gradation in just the right spots. In this step, I use a color just slightly darker than the main skin tone and add more depth to her chin. In addition, I deepen some of the shadows alongside her nose, and under her eyes, to make the cheeks appear as if they are projecting forward in space a little bit.

Step 10: Refine the Teeth Details

Establishing the shadows on the sides of the teeth gives the jaw three-dimensionality. That’s what we want. I use raw umber, titanium white, and a bit of alizarine crimson. For the highlights, I use titanium white and a bit of raw sienna. You can use a size 10 round brush if you twist the end to a point with paint that is fluid enough. Spray your paint with a mist of water, if necessary, to achieve that.

Step 11: Add Highlights and Final Touches

We also added highlights in some of the previous steps too, but toward the end of the painting is where you can really make it shine with great use of high- lights. The colors will vary depending on what part of the face they are applied to. The forehead high- lights have some titanium white and alizarine crimson mixed in, to suggest the cool color of window light shining, in addition to incandescent lamps.

Step 12: Finished–Enjoy Your Painting!

Now, it’s your turn! Paint with this guide and let me know how it’s helped you!

I enjoyed creating this helpful reference on painting realistic skin tones in acrylic. I know that if you put the steps into practice, you will see a dramatic improvement on your portrait painting, especially if you’re just starting out. If you found this helpful, would you send me an email and let me know? I can be reached at [email protected].

Make you print off the skin tones guide so you can paint a lifelike portrait you can be proud to show. Click the button below to download it.

Download and Print the Skin Tones Guide

Can I help you further?…

I have a video course available which shows each step I covered in this guide in greater detail. The course is about 5 hours long, and it’s a total package of five workshops that you can watch, step-by-step, at your own convenience. To learn more visit: Courses.realisticacrylic.com Even if you aren’t able take the course, be sure to get the free printable reference guide on painting skin tones in acrylic. Email me if you have a question or need a quick tip. I’ll be happy to help.

Acrylic portrait artist paints skin tones portrait for class — Acrylic portrait artist Matt Philleo posing next to a painting of his wife, painted for the Paint Realistic Skin Tones in Acrylic online class, teaching you how to paint with step-by-step lessons.

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Share with your friends!

Let your fellow artists know about Realistic Acrylic Portrait School. My desire is to help artists learn how to paint an acrylic portrait they can be proud of. As I do for all my students, I pray that God would bless you with His peace in your painting process, direct your brush-strokes, that your paintings would encourage those who seem them, and that you would have all the provision you need, as your heart is drawn to Him, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Blessings to you!

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!

Category Archives for Flesh Tones

Bring out the best in your portrait with these glazing techniques

Introduction

Understanding Acrylic Glazing

Preparing Your Glazes

Step-by-Step Guide to Finishing a Portrait with Glazes

1. Darkening Shadows

2. Refining the Nose and Mouth

3. Enhancing Contrast

3. Highlighting and Adding Ambiguity

4. Final Touches on the Eyes and Ears

5. Adjusting the Overall Tone

6. Adding Subtle Color Variations

7. Blending for Realism

8. Final Review and Adjustments

Tips and Techniques

Perfecting skin tones: A step-by-step guide for hardboard portraits

Introduction:

The Importance of Skin Tone in Portrait Painting

Preparing Your Palette: The Right Colors

Step 1: Mixing the Base Skin Tone

Step 2: Applying the Base Tone

Step 3: Layering and Glazing

Step 4: Highlighting and Detailing

Step 5: Adjusting the Shadows

Step 6: Final Touches

Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Learn the art of painting beard hair with this simple and effective technique

Step-by-Step Guide to Painting Beard Hair

1. Start with a Base Color

2. Block in the Values

3. Create Realism with Minimal Detail

Techniques to Improve Beard Hair Painting

1. Use Color Blocks to Imply Detail

2. Choose the Right Brush

3. Blend Your Colors

4. Focus on Contrast

Tips for a Realistic Beard in Acrylics

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Conclusion

The Acrylic Portrait Painting Challenge Masterclass, Lesson #8, is out!

Six Steps to Finishing Your Portrait Well

Where do we go from here?

Learn the classical glazing technique for depth and luminosity

This tutorial shows the entire process of painting a portrait. Here are the steps I show in this tutorial:

1. Start with a Detailed Sketch

2. Apply the Initial Glaze Layers

3. Layer and Build Gradation

4. Introduce Vibrant Colors

5. Focus on Nuances and Details

Conclusion: Patience Is Key

Is it possible to do portrait painting while you’re away from your home, your usual studio area?

Step-by-step techniques for an elegant oval vignette in acrylic portrait

Understanding the Oval Vignette Technique

Step 1: Preparing Your Canvas with Initial Layers

Step 2: Blocking in Values and Colors

Step 3: Building Depth with Glazing Layers

Step 4: Enhancing Realism with Fine Details

Step 5: Adding Highlights and Final Touches

Tips and Techniques for Glazing Success

Why Glazing Works for Acrylic Portraits

Common Challenges and Solutions

Final Thoughts

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

Learn the art of skin tones: A step-by-step guide for realistic acrylic portraits

Step 1: Create a Basic Sketch

Step 2: Block in the Hair Color and Value

Step 3: Fill in the Skin Tone Base

Print off Your Own Guide to Paint Realistic Skin Tones in Acrylic

Step 4: Suggest the Features

Step 5: Darken and Refine the Features

Step 6: Block in the Mid-tone Shadows

Step 7: Refine the Eyebrows

Tired of Muddy Colors?

Step 8: Darken and Refine the Eyes

Step 9: Turn the Form

Step 10: Refine the Teeth Details

Step 11: Add Highlights and Final Touches

Step 12: Finished–Enjoy Your Painting!

Now, it’s your turn! Paint with this guide and let me know how it’s helped you!