How to paint realistic smile in acrylic

How to Paint Teeth Realistically in an Acrylic Portrait

Painting the mouth, especially the teeth, in an acrylic portrait can be tricky. 

It’s one of the hardest parts of the face to get right, but it is so important. Teeth are not easy to paint, because of the very subtle shapes, shades of color, and nuances you have to capture correctly to convey a convincing reality of a beautiful smile.

Today, I’m going to show you how to paint realistic teeth using my Old Master’s glazing technique.

This is just a small bonus portion of my 30+hours step-by-step video course (including the bonus footage), “Paint Your First Amazing Acrylic Portrait.” 

Now, here is how to do it. You’ll need:

  • Napthol Crimson
  • Titanium White,
  • Raw Sienna
  • Raw Umber Dark
  • Matte Medium
  • and a small round brush (size 3-6)

 

The Steps

1. Using a small round brush grab a little bit of napthol red off your palette…

Leah_ptg-teeth-napthol-red.png


 

2. Then a little bit of titanium white…

Leah_ptg-teeth-white.png


 

3. Mix into a warmer color like raw sienna, and dilute with a small amount of matte medium…

Leah_ptg-teeth-pink.png


 

4. And then add the shadows just above the teeth, in the crevices between them, on top of the previously painted gums (that have just a light pink glaze on them)…

Leah_ptg-teeth-painting-gum-shadows-4.png


 

There’s a lot more! Watch it all here…

 

The 12-Minute Video Tutorial

 
 

 
(Instruction on painting teeth starts at 3:30 in the video)
 

And here is the completed portrait of my wife…

Leah_Portrait_new_2-sm.jpg


Hope you enjoyed this post, and have a blessed day,

 

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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!