Portrait Workshop Day 1: Success
Participants in the Oil Portrait Painting Workshop created successful underpaintings today! Underpainting is a traditional technique from the Masters that students today used to capture proportions and values from our live model in the studio. While we painted together, I shared some tips and tricks about how to study the model and find comparative measurements that lead to balanced proportions.
I also taught students how to finding the darkest shadows and the lightest higlights by guiding them through the “wipe-out” method. This method literally allows us to wipe away the raw umber paint to create smooth highlights.
Oil painting and portraits can be intimitating to all levels, but I teach the wipe out method because it reminds us that the paint can always be moved around. We can always make changes. We can always improve.
I set aside the first class day to only work on the underpainting because we can tackle all the basics in a relaxed and supportive environment.
That is also why I recommend that new students start with the 2-day Underpainting workshop. It works great for anyone who is new to painting from a model or new to oil paints in general. It can help build confidence before diving into a faster paced alla prima worskhop.
These students today created successful underpaintings that will now set them up for success! Tomorrow, we will make a new layer on top to create skin tones. I’m so excited to guide students through my color recipes in tomorrow’s hands-on color mixing class. Stay tuned for Day 2!
I’ll be hosting another underpainting workshop next weekend, but after that, it is on to alla prima on March 1.
I’d love to have you join us soon!
Sign ups are live on my website here:
