How To Paint Realistic Hair in Acrylic Portrait

Learn how to paint realistic hair in acrylic portraits with step-by-step glazing techniques, color tips, and layering strategies.

Painting realistic hair in an acrylic portrait requires more than just adding fine strands. Whereas it involves understanding the values, structure, and subtle details that bring life and depth to the hair. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the techniques used and then how to paint realistic hair in an acrylic portrait using the glazing technique. Whether you’re working on a professional portrait or a personal project, these tips will help elevate the realism of your work.

Understanding the Basics of Painting Hair

When painting hair in an acrylic portrait, it’s essential to recognize that you’re not painting every strand. Instead, focus on capturing the overall shape, texture, and lighting. The foundation you create with previous layers is so crucial to bringing out the final, detailed strands of hair.

1. Simplify the Process:
   Start by identifying key sections and shapes of the hair. So that you can avoid the temptation to paint individual hairs immediately. Then break the hair into large areas of light and dark tones based on your reference photo. This method simplifies the painting process and helps establish the foundation for more detailed work later on.
2. Focus on Values Over Color:
   Although hair color matters, the most crucial aspect of realistic hair painting is getting the values right. In this portrait, even though the subject has blonde hair, Philleo uses earth tones like raw umber dark and titanium white instead of vibrant yellow. This approach creates more natural and believable depth in the hair.

Painting Techniques: Step-by-Step Guide

1. Building Foundations with Glazing

Begin by glazing the hair with earth tones, focusing on creating distinct sections of light and shadow. This step lays the groundwork for more refined detailing later.

• Tip: Use a size six round brush to achieve fine, pointed strokes. Glide the brush across the surface to mimic the natural flow of hair. Keep your hand light to avoid overly stiff or harsh lines.
• Transition Tip: Remember to work gradually. Building hair detail with glazes is a process that involves multiple layers.

2. Identify and Paint Sections of Hair

Hair naturally falls into patterns, often forming small, triangular shapes, particularly with straight hair. These sections of hair create shadows and highlights, giving the impression of depth.

• Technique: Observe the reference photo closely and break the hair into small, triangular sections. Paint the shadows and highlights accordingly to make the hair look full and natural.
• Avoid Symmetry: Human hair isn’t perfectly symmetrical. Fight the tendency to make everything even or balanced. Adding randomness to the direction of strands creates a more lifelike effect.

3. Creating Depth with Shadows

To add realism, it’s crucial to paint the negative spaces between sections of hair. These are the shadows cast by overlapping strands, adding depth to the portrait.

• Shadow Work: Use raw umber dark mixed with matte medium for the shadows. Focus on areas where strands meet or overlap. This approach helps to create the illusion of hair volume and natural flow.
• Consecutive Steps: Once the shadows are in place, you can begin to add lighter strands of hair using titanium white to highlight areas where light hits.

4. Details with Opaque Paint

After establishing the base, it’s time to bring out finer details. For this step, use opaque paint to define individual strands and highlights that catch the light.

• Focus Area: So you need to pay attention to where the hair catches the light the most. I add lighter strands at the top and along the outer edges of the hair, where the light source is strongest.
• Use a Fine Brush: To achieve these delicate details, then make sure your brush tip is sharp and precise.

The Role of Geometry in Hair Painting

Interestingly, that hair can be broken down into geometric shapes like triangles. Whether it’s an isosceles or an equilateral triangle, recognizing these patterns helps in structuring the hair and creating a realistic flow.

• Observation: Always observe your reference image closely to detect these subtle shapes. Then look for areas where hair breaks apart and casts shadows, creating a layered effect.
• Math in Art: While art and math may seem worlds apart, understanding basic geometry can significantly enhance your painting techniques.

Bringing Realism with Color and Shading

Even though the subject in this portrait has blonde hair, using bright yellow would make it look unnatural. Instead, rely on muted tones like raw umber dark and titanium white, with only a hint of yellow where necessary.

• Mixing Colors: Mix matte medium into your paint to create semi-translucent glazes that allow for subtle layering. I use burnt umber for areas where the hair meets the skin to create a soft transition.
• Smooth Shading: The key to realistic hair lies in smooth transitions between light and shadow. When shading, use soft, curved strokes to mimic the natural flow of hair.

Final Touches and Enhancing Texture

To finish the portrait, refine any areas where the hair meets other facial features, such as the forehead or neck. And add final touches by using a fine brush to create hair strands that stand out from the rest.

• Light Strokes: When you create individual hairs using light, swift strokes. You need to focus on areas that catch the most light, then giving the hair a shiny and voluminous appearance.
• Highlighting Tip: A small amount of titanium white mixed with a tiny amount of matte medium can help create soft highlights, especially at the top layers of the hair.

Painting realistic hair in acrylic portraits requires careful observation, gradual layering, and attention to value rather than color. By focusing on the overall structure of the hair and adding details through glazing and opaque paint, you can achieve a natural, flowing appearance.

The most important takeaway is to work in stages. Build your foundation, then layer in shadows and highlights, always keeping in mind the natural randomness and flow of hair. Through patience and practice, you’ll be able to create stunning, lifelike hair in your acrylic portraits.

Read more about my additional resources, tutorials, to learn more and check out my free courses here. . Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist, there’s always something new to learn and apply to your paintings. Happy painting!

LEARN MORE:

• How to Paint Foliage Using the Acrylic Glazing Technique
• How to Trace for an Accurate Portrait Sketch
• How to Paint Realistic Eyes in Your Acrylic Portrait
• How to Add Raw Umber Dark & Ultramarine Blue to Your Portrait
• How to Make Your Own Raw Umber Dark
• How to Paint Realistic Trees & Grass in Your Acrylic
• How to Block In Skin Tone Values Using Glazing Technique
• How to Paint Vibrant Reds in Your Acrylic Portrait
• How to Glaze Background Colors & More Acrylic Portrait
• How to Paint White Clothing in Your Acrylic Portrait
• How to Easily Transition from a Sketch to a Painting
• How to Block In Shading & Skin Tones in Your Acrylic
• How to Build Up Color on Acrylic Pet Portrait
• How to Build Up Form on Clothing with Acrylic
• How to Paint Dark Clothing Using Acrylic Glazing Technique
• How to Paint a 24 x 30 Acrylic With 30 People
• How to Do Smooth Shading with Acrylic
• How to Sketch an Acrylic Portrait with a Grid

 

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Yours for Better Portraits,

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