The Oil Painting Portrait Course: Secrets Of The Old Masters

Learn portrait construction with constructed lines to place features with proper proportions, using key points to align eyes, nose, and lips through facial anatomy.

Master underpainting to establish value and contrast between face and background using thin raw umber layers and turpentine, then employ traditional glazing to build color.

Learn a simple five-color method to mix all portrait tones—white, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, ultramarine blue, and raw umber—and build flesh, eyes, and lips with hue, value, and color temperature.

apply step 4 portrait techniques: use an under painting to establish values, then place color from darkest to lightest with careful brush work.

Paint the eyes in the second painting by starting with darkest tones, applying eye anatomy such as iris, eyelids, and lashes, and using wet layered highlights to build skin texture.

Continue with the second painting layer, focusing on the nose by visualizing its three-dimensional planes and anatomy: bones, cartilage, and muscles, and applying color accurately for diverse sexes and races.

Continue the second painting by studying mouth anatomy—the lips, vermilion border, cupid’s bow, and philtrum—while practicing shadows and highlights to capture expression through careful observation.

Explore essential facial anatomy for oil portraiture, focusing on the cheek and front regions, orbital areas, cheekbones, labial features, and how the frontal structure shapes expression through shading.

Learn how to create luminous, glassy glazes in oil portraiture by diluting colors with turpentine and linseed oil, layering for flesh tones, shadows, and highlights.

Learn to render metallic, reflective surfaces by mastering abrupt transitions between deep shadows and bright highlights, starting with dark tones and layering shadows before highlights.

Master painting hair by moving from general shapes to specific details, balancing shadows, midtones, and highlights. Use varied hues and an angle brush to capture curls and reflections without over-detail.

Learn to add color to the background of a portrait, balancing blues, purples, white and yellow tones, without copying the reference, while keeping the face focused.

Learn a simple, effective method from the old masters to draw realistic portraits from any angle in 20 minutes, using pencil and paper for game and comic portfolios.

Establish precise constructive lines and key facial points—eyes, nose, and lips—using measurements and boxes to ensure correct proportions and believable portrait likeness.

Start with hard pencils to lay the principal lines inside the initial boxes, then switch to softer pencils to refine details while preserving the illusion of three-dimensional form.

Create strong contrast between the background and the portrait by varying shadows and value. Explain light direction and intensity, use a black-and-white reference, and adjust tone to clarify form.