Remove & Tone Highlights in your Acrylic

How to Create Depth and Realism in Your Portrait

How to achieve smooth layers and realistic effects in your acrylic portraits”

When creating a portrait, one of the most effective techniques for achieving depth, realism, and smooth transitions between shadows and highlights is glazing. In this blog post, we’ll explore the glazing process through the lens of painting Daniel praying. Glazing involves layering thin, transparent layers of paint to build up color gradually. With this method, you can create lifelike effects that bring your painting to life.

Let’s dive into the step-by-step process of using a raw umber dark glaze, blocking in shadows, and wiping away highlights to develop a well-balanced, luminous portrait.

The Glazing Process

Step 1: Applying a Ground Layer

Before diving into the details, it’s important to set the stage with a warm ground tone. In this case, a mixture of raw umber dark and matte medium was applied across the entire canvas. However, this initial glaze acts as a base, adding richness and warmth to the final piece.

So start by blocking in the background, ensuring smooth, vertical strokes for an even application. Then the key to glazing is to maintain a wet edge—this means you should work quickly to avoid patches and blotches. But always remember to blend layers seamlessly by overlapping strokes.

Tip: Always work with light, smooth strokes toward the end of each section. This ensures a consistent, polished finish.

Step 2: Building Layers for Depth

In glazing, every layer adds another dimension to your painting. Then after applying the initial ground, the next step is to deepen certain areas, like the folds of clothing or shadows around the figure. Because using the same raw umber glaze, begin filling in areas where darker values are needed. But for Daniel’s figure, the focus was on filling in the curtain backdrop and some of the facial shadows.

Each layer should be applied with care to avoid blotchy areas. The trick is to gently build color with each successive glaze while keeping brush strokes light and smooth. So always keep the brush moving to prevent the paint from drying unevenly.

Technique: When painting the background or large areas, use a larger brush and apply the glaze uniformly across the surface. This technique mimics a grisaille style of painting, where you first block in monochrome tones before adding color.

Step 3: Blending for Smoothness

One of the most common struggles artists face with glazing is achieving smooth blending between layers. But the secret lies in the “wet edge” technique—keeping each layer wet enough to blend smoothly. In this video, vertical strokes were employed, and the second layer was blended with the first by using a light hand.

If you’re too heavy-handed, the paint will clump or streak. Use the tip of your brush to blend areas gently. This allows the layers to melt together, creating a seamless transition between dark and light values.

Tip: For best results, blend each layer while it’s still wet and don’t wait too long to transition to the next section.

Wiping Away Highlights

Step 4: Creating Highlights Through Subtraction

A unique approach to glazing is the subtraction method—wiping away paint to reveal highlights. Once a glaze is applied, you have a small window of opportunity (around 5-10 minutes) to remove paint from areas that will eventually be lighter in value. In this painting of Daniel, highlights on his face and clothing were wiped away to bring focus to illuminated areas.

To do this, take a clean rag and gently wipe away paint from areas where light naturally falls. Reference photos are crucial at this stage to guide you. Keep the rag moving lightly across the surface to avoid harsh lines or streaks.

Technique: Wipe away gradually and in controlled motions. If the paint dries too fast, lightly mist the surface with water to extend the working time.

Step 5: Adjusting Based on Conditions

Environmental factors, such as humidity, can affect how fast your glaze dries. In this case, high humidity in Wisconsin during the summer meant that the glaze stayed wet longer, giving more time to manipulate the layers. On drier days, however, the process may be quicker, so it’s important to adapt to your local conditions.

Tip: If you live in a drier climate, consider misting the surface with water to slow down drying and give you more time to blend.

Fine Tuning the Details

Step 6: Enhancing Contrast and Depth

After establishing the main layers and highlights, the next step is to go back and enhance the details. For example, in the video, a lighter glaze was used on Daniel’s stone surroundings to differentiate between the lighter and darker areas of the painting. You can adjust the intensity of your glazes by altering the ratio of matte medium to paint.

A higher matte medium ratio (around 90-95%) will create a lighter, more transparent glaze. This allows you to refine subtle transitions, such as the differentiation between fabric folds or the glow on skin tones.

Technique: When working on detailed areas like faces or hands, switch to a smaller brush for greater control and precision.

Step 7: Final Touches

As you near the end of the glazing process, take the time to evaluate the overall smoothness and tonal range of your painting. If you notice any areas that seem blotchy, you can apply another thin glaze in a perpendicular direction to the previous layer. This will help smooth out any inconsistencies.

Tip: Don’t overwork the surface. A few well-placed strokes can often be more effective than constant adjustments.

Glazing Tips for Success

Use a Wet Edge: Always keep your edge wet by working swiftly. This prevents streaks and uneven patches.
Layer Lightly: Thin, transparent layers are the key to depth. Avoid trying to achieve your final result in one pass.
Wipe Away Quickly: After applying a glaze, be sure to wipe away highlights before the paint dries completely.
Adapt to Conditions: Work in a climate-controlled environment, and adjust techniques based on humidity or temperature.
Smooth Out Blotches: Apply additional layers in opposite directions to even out any areas that feel inconsistent.

The glazing technique is a powerful tool for achieving depth, smooth transitions, and a luminous quality in acrylic portrait painting. By mastering light, subtle layering, and the wet edge technique, you can create portraits with a realistic, professional finish.

If you’re looking for more instructional videos on how to improve your acrylic painting, visit RealisticAcrylic.com for more tutorials and check out my free courses here. .

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Yours for Better Portraits,

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