4 Ways to Tell that Your Acrylic Portrait is Done

How do you finish up and sign an acrylic portrait?

Is it time to “call it quits?” on your painting? How can you tell?

You don’t want to overdo it, but neither do you want to leave the portrait looking unfinished. You want to amaze people with that picture, give a great gift or get paid, and have the satisfaction of a job well done.

But how?

Here are 5 ways to know your painting is done. In this article, I’m going to use a little tough love, artist-to-artist. Ok with that? Alright, here we go…

 

1. You’re not adding any value to it.

If you’ve been working on a one-subject 16″ x 20″ portrait for say, 50 hours, it’s time to say enough is enough.

Test:  get an “innocent bystander” (in my case, usually it’s my wife) to look at your painting from a distance of six feet away, and then come back into your studio a couple of hours later. If they can’t tell the difference, you’re done.

By continuing on, you’re not adding anything significant to the bottom line of the painting.

You’re not adding any value.

Nobody will notice the little details you’re adding if they don’t make an impact from six feet away.  Most of the time, as artists, we fuss over some small portion of the painting that has us stumped. It’s like the kid who takes all his time on one question in the timed exam and then fails the test because he should have skipped the question, completed the rest of the test, and then come back and finish that one problem.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying details aren’t important. I love detail and it makes an acrylic portrait look fantastic. But if you’re struggling with one square inch of your painting, leave it alone and come back to it if you need to. But chances are, you don’t.

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2. You’re making it worse. 

Yes, it’s possible to make a painting worse, the more you work on it.

I’ve done that.

I’ve had some paintings where I should have left well enough alone. That little dimple on the persons’ face was so good, I thought I should make it perfect.

But then I messed it up. So I had to try to restore what I had before, and then leave it alone. Then I found myself messing up another area.

Pretty soon, I realized, the painting is done. Time to sign it!

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3. You just hit the unforgiving end of a deadline.

If you are a professional or semi-professional artist, doing portraits on commission, you know what I’m talking about when I say you hit the end of a deadline. Or you might be doing it as a hobby, but you have an occasion, like a birthday or Christmas, that dictates the painting must be done and wrapped by a certain time.

You know that a portrait must get in the client’s hands today, or at the very least, you have to email a proof image for the client to approve. You put in as many hours as you can. You bring out the coffee and energy drinks if you have to (have you ever tried coffee with a couple of black tea bags thrown in?...that will keep you up!) and you pull an all-nighter if need be.

But eventually, you run out of hours, and you just have to call the painting done, out of necessity.

This, by the way, is why I advocate the glazing technique. You can work your entire painting at once, and even if you feel like it is 80% done, oftentimes, it’s done enough to please the client.

If you’re like those artists who have a white canvas and work it like a drawing, from left to right, making everything detailed and finished section-by-section, then you’ll always have a white section of canvas that’s undone until the very end.

And there’s no way you can pass off that portrait as finished.

Now, that’s not to say we don’t strive for our best work. Don’t turn in a painting to a client that’s not representative of your style, that’s not finished well. But the 80%-100% level of completion in a painting is a very grey area, a very thin line. It’s where you may not be adding much value to the portrait.

There’s a saying:  “your work will expand to fill the time you allot for it.”

That holds true with paintings as well. If you have a tight deadline to meet, if you value your reputation as an artist, you’ll find a way to get the artwork done.

Unless the client is able to give you some wiggle room on the deadline, better to turn in a painting that doesn’t look perfect to you, than say, “Sorry, it’s not done,” when they absolutely needed it by a certain time.

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4. Your client approves the portrait.

Again, let’s say you are a professional artist and you email your client a proof image. They love it. They are ready to pay you.

Don’t you dare add one more drop of paint to that canvas! It’s done.

“But I just noticed an eyelash that’s missing,” you say. “I’ve got to paint it in there.”

No. Leave it. Your client approved this version of the painting, and if you add more paint, it’s a different version. When they come to pick it up, they might say, “it doesn’t look like the proof. Something’s different.”

Then you’d have to try and restore it to what it was. What a nightmare! You’d waste the client’s time, your time, and possibly even lose the commission.

Not worth the gamble.

They approve it=you’re done.

If you think the painting could be improved, save that sentiment for your next painting.

Now, with all these points, it’s good to remember that sometimes a painting is not done and needs more work. Some artists give up on a painting too early. Don’t do that. If you stick with a painting that’s causing you frustration, it will build your endurance as an artist, and you will be able to paint better the next time. It’s just like working out at a gym. Finish your reps, and you will be stronger the next week.

As an example of how to finish a painting successfully, here is a portrait I did not too long ago of a pastor, a memoriam portrait. It’s one of my favorites. I posted some videos of it in the past, but here I want to show you how I finish and sign it.

 

 

Let me know how this article helps! It’s been a while since I’ve last posted, but I hope to get back into the swing of things again!
If you have any questions or comments for me, please leave them below. May God bless you in your painting!

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! 

 

 

 

Portrait Painting of a Veteran at the Yurt

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.

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,

 

 

 

 

Paint Realistic Reflections on Eyeglasses in an Acrylic Portrait

It’s tricky to paint reflections on eyeglasses.

But it’s a very important detail in an acrylic portrait where the subject is wearing them and you want it to look realistic. Let me show you how to do it, using the acrylic glazing technique, in this quick video tutorial.

This is a 16 x 20 acrylic on canvas commissioned portrait, and I just delivered it to the client today. She loved it. It was a memoriam portrait, so I pray it will bring comfort to all who see it.

Have a blessed day, and may God use your artistic gifts to bless people far and wide.

All the best,

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!

 

The 30-Minute Acrylic Portrait: “Smiling Girl in Yellow”

Thanks for joining me on another adventure of painting a quick, loosely-realistic alla prima acrylic portrait, real-time, in a half an hour.

For today’s portrait, I’ll be painting a picture of a young woman ( a still shot image from Ray Comfort’s video interviews ) with a beautiful dark complexion and attractive smile. I like the dark shadows and forms within her face and hair, and I thought it would make for a fantastic little portrait.

This will be an 8 x 10, acrylic on canvas board.

 

 

I’ll demonstrate how you can paint a quick portrait study with an aggressive opaque, alla prima technique. The idea is to see what you can accomplish within 30 minutes. It will force you to think quickly, and find out what the most important aspects are that will convey the subject’s likeness and just paint them without fuss.

At the same time, I encourage you to enjoy the process and don’t fret over whether the painting looks good or not. Of course it won’t look as good as a painting you’ve spent hours on! But it’s OK. Just enjoy the process.

Later on, you can always add more layers to the painting and give it a finished look.

Ready to dive in?

Season 1, Episode 3 of the 30-Minute Acrylic Portrait…

After watching it, leave me a comment here below. I really look forward to reading and answering your thoughts and questions. Let me know how I can help and have a blessed and productive day!

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!

 

The 30-Minute Acrylic Portrait: “Young Man in White”

Thank you to everyone who left encouraging comments and kind words on my first episode of the “30-Minute Acrylic Portrait.” Now, it’s on to Episode #2.

For today’s portrait, I’ll be painting a picture of a young man dressed in white, named Mohammed.

How did I come across this photo?

Well, I was looking for interesting reference images to paint from, scouring the internet and couldn’t find much. Even stock photo sites like Pexels and Pixabay came up short.

Then I recalled a YouTube channel that I frequently watch (or have playing in the background as I paint): Living Waters.

On this channel, there are literally hundreds of videos of people being interviewed by Ray Comfort, a Christian author, evangelist and short movie producer. Every person is different and unique. I noticed the lighting on several of these interesting characters was fantastic, and the video quality high enough that I could grab some screenshots of the footage and then paint from them.

Of course, I needed to get permission first.

So I contacted the ministry’s general email address, and got an expected automated response.

The next day, however, I got an unexpected call from Ray Comfort, granting me permission to paint portraits based on his videos. I was blown away by his generosity and thought this was also another confirmation from God to continue doing the series. I should have enough images to keep me busy for months, maybe even years. 🙂

So here we go.

Season 1, Episode 2 of the 30-Minute Acrylic Portrait…

As always, let me know what you think of this video. I encourage you to try this exercise for yourself. You don’t have to feel pressured to come up with a masterpiece. Just enjoy the process and see what you can do within half an hour.

Or you might just want to keep watching these videos for fun, sipping some coffee or tea. 🙂 Either way, thank you for watching, and I look forward to sharing more with you.

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!

 

Oval Vignette Acrylic Portrait Timelapse

It’s fun to paint a portrait using the acrylic glazing technique. Although it takes a little longer, it allows you the ability to build up some fantastic depth, color saturation, and shading. 

In this painting I did toward the end of 2018, actually two 14″ x 20″ oval vignette bubble portraits, I demonstrate how the glazing technique works, in about nine minutes. If you would like to see the process, at a slower pace, with explanations of my technique, check out this post here.

And now for the 9-minute timelapse video…

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

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!

 

 

 

 

 

Paint an Acrylic Portrait in 30 Minutes

As a child, I was amazed as I watched “The Joy of Painting” host Bob Ross paint a beautiful landscape in less than 30 minutes. I was captivated by his gentle touch, his fast wet-on-wet technique, and the way he could totally put you at ease.

I can’t say I wanted to be just like Bob when I grew up, but he did help inspire me to paint.

Later on, I learned the more methodical glazing technique from Norbert Kox, where you apply layer after layer of translucent paint. It’s very time consuming, but it creates fantastic realistic effects. This is the style I have become known for.

But sometimes I just want to knock out a quick painting, have fun with it, and yet push myself.

Can I paint a somewhat respectable looking painting in half an hour?

If I do it often, will I get faster?

Could it help me paint faster, and more confidently in my “typical” more detailed portraits?

Could an exercise like this help YOU to do the same?

There’s only one way to find out.

So, with that, I’m launching a new series of videos, or something like a show called, “The 30-Minute Acrylic Portrait” Season One, Episode 1…

Let me know what you think of this video. Is it helpful? Interesting? Would you like to see more?

I’d love to hear back from you with your honest thoughts.

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 I Painted Two Bubble Frame Oval Acrylic Portraits, Step-by-Step

“How is my portrait project coming along?”

“Um, I haven’t even started it yet.”

“Oh. Could you do another one and get it done for me by Christmas?”

“Let me check. Sure.”

This is kind of how the conversation went when a client called me on a portrait project that I had scheduled out for a few months. I was backed up with commissions, and it was already well into December.

Do another portrait when I was already behind? Why not? I thrive on a little deadline pressure. I’ve got an extra reserve of midnight oil 🙂

So here are the portraits I created, two convex-oval 14″ x 20″ acrylic on canvas paintings. I decided to work on both at once. And I got them both done in time, too, by God’s grace!

 

 

And now I want to show you how I painted them. I’ll take you through the process from the colors I select for the palette, the first few layers, all the way to the completed painting.

 

How I Painted These Oval Vintage Acrylic Portraits

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This tutorial is a work in progress, so I’ll be adding more videos in the future!

Keep in touch and I’ll let you know when I post the next one!

Let me know how this tutorial helps!

Have you ever painted on an oval canvas or unusual surface before? If so, leave a comment and tell me about it. Have a blessed day!

 

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!

 

 

Build Up Depth on Your Acrylic Portrait Backgrounds

Learn how to paint fantastic, cloudy-looking backgrounds for your acrylic portrait, using the glazing technique.

This kind of background will look great, match your colors, and yet allow the subjects to stand out. In this video, we’ll look at the beginning part of the process. This is based off a commissioned portrait painting I did of three children, a 16 x 20, acrylic on canvas…

 

 

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The Video Lesson…

 

Let me know how this helps! If you have questions on your portrait painting, feel free to contact me ([email protected])

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!

 

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Would you like to learn portrait painting from me in person?

I’d like to let you know that I’ll be teaching at the Chippewa Valley Cultural Association (Heyde Center for the Arts, Chippewa Falls, WI) on March 12-13, 10:30am-3:30pm, a two-day intensive acrylic portrait painting workshop. The class size is limited to 10 people to make sure I can give each student feedback and individual instruction. For more details, visit my events page here…https://realisticacrylic.com/paint-an-acrylic-portrait-with-me-in-2019/

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8 x 10 Realistic Acrylic Portrait Timelapse

Just prior to Christmas, I finished this portrait of a local engineer.

I’d like to share the process with you in a time-lapse video. In this brief video, you’ll see very quickly how you can paint a realistic acrylic portrait using the glazing technique.

 

 

 

 

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Would you like to learn how to paint like this, with individual lessons broken down and explained?

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

(The lessons show me painting a different picture, but the technique is the same. Enjoy! 🙂

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Let me know how this helps.

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!