Just about anyone, experienced or not, can learn paint a portrait with realism.
Portraits are an excellent way of flaunting your skill and talent as an artist. Painting accurate portraits may seem like an almost impossible task, but these tips show how just about anybody, experienced or not, can learn paint portraits with startling realism.
Instructions
1. Set up your projector so that your photo is projected onto a piece of tracing paper beside your canvas. It is best to work in front of a wall so that you can stick the tracing paper onto the wall, which makes it easy for you to keep referring back to whilst painting. Take the image out of focus so all you can distinguish on the tracing paper is basic shapes and large blocks of color. Bringing the image out of focus helps you see the shapes and tones of the portrait, and ensures that you are not overwhelmed or distracted by detail.
2. Spray the whole canvas with spray painting medium. This acts as a thin layer of lubricant for the layers that are painted on top. Using undiluted paint, brush in the main blocks of color, then soften the edges to imitate the out-of-focus blur of the projected image. Leave this to dry completely.
3. Bring the projected image on the tracing paper a little more into focus so definite shapes, such as the eyes, nose and mouth, are distinguishable yet still have soft edges. Again spray the canvas with spray painting medium, paint in what you see but soften the edges a little less than you did on the first layer of painting. Let it dry.
4. Focus the projector until the image is almost completely in focus but tiny details, such as wrinkles, are still slightly blurred. Spray a bit less spray painting medium onto your canvas and paint in what you can now see using a smaller paintbrush. Soften the occasional edge but keep most of the edges sharp.
5. Put your projected image into full focus and select a few areas that require a sharp detail. Take a small paintbrush and dip the tip of the bristles lightly in the paint, then stroke in the finest details such as highlights of the hair or reflections of light in the eyes.
