The portrait of Venus by Botticelli is a classic portrait.
Portrait painting is a genre in painting, along with other genres, such as still life or landscape. The human portrait is extremely complex and painting it can be challenging. However, if you apply some basic drawing principles, you can achieve satisfactory results. Acrylic colors are more suitable for beginners, because they dry quickly. As you gain experience, you may use oil colors.
Instructions
1. Find a clear photograph with an expressive portrait, or ask someone to model for you. If using a live model, take a picture, so you can work when your model is not available. Tape the picture to your canvas or easel.
2. Analyze the portrait you are about to paint, and decide on the shape of the face. The face may be triangular, oval, round, heart-shaped or rectangular. Sketch this shape on your canvas using a light color or a pencil.
3. Do an under painting of the portrait using a thin layer of paint. Apply black or a dark color for the darker areas on the face and light yellow or a lighter color for the light-colored areas. Allow the paint to dry.
4. Trace a few guiding lines on the face using a small brush or a piece of charcoal. Divide the face in two halves with a vertical line, and draw a horizontal line for the eye level, which is typically halfway from the top of the head and the bottom of the chin. Trace a vertical line at the bottom of the nose and a mouth line.
5. Using the guiding lines, add details to your portrait. Start with the eyes, and draw the approximate shape of the eyes. Add details to the nose and mouth area, and draw the ears, if they are visible. Paint any distinctive features that make the model unique, such as dimples.
6. Color the face using a color that resembles the model's skin tone, but consider the lighter and darker areas marked in your under painting. Use paints labeled as skin color, or mix your own skin color using red, white, yellow, sienna and umber. For dark skin tones, use more sienna and ocher. Paint the hair using a color and several lighter and darker variations of it.
7. Color the background using one or several colors. Don't add details in the background, so the portrait stands out.
