• applying the dark tones

• applying the light tones

• refining the tone, colour and texture

NB. The skin should be painted over the hairline so that no gaps remain once the hair is completed.

1) The Dark Tones : these are applied with a burnt sienna glaze over the flesh coloured underpainting. A variety of small brushstrokes, stippling and smudging is used to render the form of the face.

3) Refining Tone, Colour and Texture: in the final stage of painting the skin, warmer scarlet red and napthol crimson glazes are used to suggest the blush of the cheeks and lips and subtle variations in the complexion.

The dark and light tones applied in the first two stages are now heightened for dramatic effect by increasing their contrast and smoothing out any irregularities in their paint surface.

Painting Technique for the Skin

The actual size detail above gives a close-up view of the painting technique used for the skin.

The tones, colours and textures are all built up in thin layered glazes of paint applied over the flesh toned underpainting. Transparent glazes of burnt sienna ( occasionally darkened with prussian blue ) and napthol crimson are used for the darker tones and colours, while more opaque glazes of titanium white are used to create the highlights on the skin.

A variety of small brushstrokes, stippling ( paint applied in dots ) and smudging is used throughout the painting of the skin. Stippling gives you the greatest control over the distribution of colour when applying paint over larger areas such as the cheeks.

Our lesson on pencil portraits
should help you with drawing the nose and mouth.