Demonstration in Oil Paints on Painting Figures

Lesson in Art on How to Render People Using Oils on Canvas

© Rachel Wills

Sep 10, 2009

Painting people is considered to be the last frontier for the artist wishing to capture realism in art. Employing photographs is the best route for the beginner. It must be borne in mind however, that the artist must make allowances for mistakes, for portraiture requires a certain amount of confidence.

Portrait Painting from a Photograph

Careful selection of the photograph must bear the following qualities

• It must have reasonably high resolution. In other words, not too grainy or the detail will not be easy to pick out
• The figures or the portrait depicted must take up a large portion of the photograph
• Flesh tones in natural daylight yields interesting contrasts in colour and tone
• Avoid using flash photography for figures. Similarly, artificial light may give the flesh tones a yellowish hue
• The person or people depicted must look natural and be within a natural setting
• Consider the background within the photograph and how it compliments the figures

Oil Painting Materials

1. A suitable photograph of people
2. Acrylic paint in burnt umber
3. Oil paints in the following colours: titanium, pthalo blue, ultramarine, permanent rose, cadmium red, lemon yellow, viridian, burnt sienna and burnt umber
4. A 12” x 16” (30.5 x 40.5cm) fine stretched canvas
5. A size 1, 3 and size 6 round sable brushes
6. A ½ inch wide bristle brush
7. A palette consisting of a nonporous material such as a china plate or varnished wood.
8. Small pot of artists’ white spirits
9. A few rags
10. Soft pencil

Step-by-step Oil Painting Demonstration on Flesh Tones

The canvas had been overlaid with a thin layer of diluted burnt umber acrylic paint and allowed to dry. This set the tone for the painting. The composition was then carefully sketched onto the canvas using a soft pencil. The highlighted areas of the flesh were painted in first by using a no 1 sable. Titanium white and a dab of burnt sienna was used.

With the same brush, a little burnt umber and ultramarine were introduced. This darker colour was dabbed onto the shaded areas of skin. The colour may appear heavy at this stage until the background had been blocked in. The colours were then carefully blended with a soft brush (fig 1).

Painting Creases on Clothes

With a no 3 sable, the colours of the clothes were painted in. This consisted of white and ultramarine for the figure on the right, and ultramarine with burnt umber for the figure on the left. Illustrated detail was avoided, but an impression of a bleached out day (fig 2). The stripes on the sun-loungers were painted in next with viridian and white (fig 3)

How to Balance Out Tones

The background was blocked in with minimal detail in order to retain the focus upon the figures. In similar fashion, the colours were slightly darker than the figures themselves in order to make the flesh tones stand out. Varying amounts of viridian, lemon yellow and white were used for the foliage and bright splashes of colour for the flowers (fig 4).

Tips for Painting Figures

The beginner must make allowances for mistakes in figure painting since it is a demanding subject matter. A good photograph is vital. The artist must also make allowances for the initial brush marks making little sense. The highlighted areas for instance cannot express form without the darks. Observing slight variations in colour and tone will result in a more successful depiction of figures within an oil painting.

Sunbathers, Oils on Canvas

Oil Painting the Flesh Tones (fig 1)

Painting the Clothes on the Figures (fig 2)

Painting the Background of the Figure (fig 3)

Splashes of Colour in Foliage (fig 4)

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