[_zaphod_]

I just got a bunch of oil paints and I have never painted before a week or two ago. I did a still life well, then i did a landscape but stopped because i tired of painting palm trees

I decided I would try painting my face. I have some questions though.

1. I consulted an artist on one general way to paint sking and they said wash it with burnt sienna, then go in and do the shadows. I did that here:
Sorry about the disgraceful pic quality..


What should I generally do next now? They left before I could ask them what comes after doing shadows I realize there are many different methods, but I just need one for guidance now.

2. After I thought about it, i figured I probably can't start iwth exact skin at first because I would need more practice (ie lots of different colors comprising of a skin tone). Therefore, do you think I should just only 2 or 3 colors? which colors, if thats the case?

[bagelguillotine]

That's a good start. Logically, you would follow up doing the shadows by adding in lights. It's generally easier for beginning purposes to start light and gradually darken the whole thing, which is why the artist you consulted suggested a wash background (as you know, you can paint on top of it easily.)

It really depends on whether or not you want to build the painting up in layers--letting one dry before painting the next-- or to do the whole thing in one sitting without letting it dry. I personally prefer the latter just because I don't have much patience; however, the former allows for a much more dynamic painting in my mind.

One of the most interesting things about skin is its translucency and reflectiveness. Make sure to pay really close attention as you move away from the monochrome to observe all of the warm and cool colors--cool for shadows and warm for lights. One of the great things about oil paint is the ease with which you can blend in a whole range of colors into something so seemingly monochrome as skin. I wouldn't limit myself to just a few colors--it's often trickier that way.

Good luck!

[_zaphod_]

Thanks for the tips

I've established light and darks using raw umber (darks) burnt sienna (midtones) and yellow ochre (lights).

Now I'm going to let it dry, but how should I go about painting actual colors now? (also which palette would be best?)

[Nag]

*edit" misread

[_zaphod_]

here's what i have.

colors are REALLY fucke dup in this pic, but im still working on it

The image is 16x20"

[bagelguillotine]

I don't know what you think's wrong with the colors, Zaphod. It looks great to me. I like the subtlety of it. I would try creating some contrast with warmer colors, but don't take that as a must. I'm still learning, and cool paintings have a nice effect.

As for a palette, it's usually recommended for beginners (and professionals, certainly) to start out with these colors: white (I use titanium), alizarin crimson, cadmium red, cadmium yellow light, cadmium yellow dark, prussian blue, and ultramarine. It's usually recommended that black be used very sparingly because it can really take over your painting. The theory is that mixing the pairs of primary colors--like alizarin crimson and cadmium red, for example-- will produce a true primary. (I haven't found that bit of knowledge to be useful for paintings, but it explains the choice.) They also give you more ability to vary the warmth and coolness of your painting. Sap green is also recommended for figures in particular.

All that's pretty expensive, though, and I suggest you decide whether or not you like the media before you go get it, though.

[_zaphod_]

*big sigh*

Well.. i finished the values, and now i just did colors. I feel like the worst artist ever, and i kind of lost all motivation to try again.


The colors on my palette were cadmium red hue, yellow ochre, white. I also had burnt sienna and ultramarine blue which i used for shadows in addition to the red (bad idea?).

well i started off mixing up the colors and painting them on.. that went ok i guess. that was until i got to teh shadows... a;rlja;lkejg that made me so mad.
Firstly, i didnt know how to make a shadow look good. For example, the area around my eyes was very shadowed, but using the colors i had didnt look good at all. Secondly, i couldnt get the shadows dark enough. If i tried to add blue and brown to tan (pretty much black colored flesh tones) then it just came out grey.
Secondly, i never thought about this step.. but eyes are a fucking bitch. I put in the whites of my eyes (i even toend them down with blue so they werent so bright) and it still totally overtook the picture. I also didnt know how to put in eyelashes. I first tried doing clumps of lashes but that looked incredibly gay, so i just thought about putting in shadows instead or dark masses.. EXCEPT, i didntk now how to MAKE any "dark colored masses" with my palette given... everything came out just grey or reddish brown..
Third, THe mouth was incredibly hard for me... i had no ideas which colors to use so i just fudged it, mixed a bunch of shit on the pallete together to make dark red and put it on there.

Any advice for a poor youth?

Here are the "results"
And by the way, these pictures look A LOT better than the painting does in real life.. i have no idea why. the colors are super messed up and its blurry, sorry (webcam) but for some reason.. the 2nd picture looks awesome. It really doesnt look awesome in real life though.
An you can see how fucking pathetic the eyes look

[Heysoos]

Heres the colors I like to use for oil painting. Cadmium red light, Cadmium yellow medium, Cadmium yellow light, Cobalt Blue, Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Raw or Burnt Umber, alizarin crimson. Kinda based off the Singer Sargent pallette. I was taught that its best to stay away from ultramarine blue as it doesn't work so well for skin.

[_zaphod_]

Well I finished round 4... WHen i finished i was like :bow: :bow: YES I finally made it look halfway decent color wise.. then i left to get a drink and on my way back i looked at my painting from a distance.. my heart instantly dropped.. there was hardly any contrast. FUCK. :flush:

sigh.. i guess ill have to go back over it with burnt sienna or osmething for the shadows. i also still have to do the rest of my hair, eyebrows, and lashes.

back to the drawing board :crying:

btw, the pics suck fucknig ass once again. The colors are off, i increased the contrast just a little, so you can see how lame it looks..
Second, im holding it a tad tilted, so my nose looks off and my head looks a little long, but it looks better in real life.










Heres the reference i used (me)

[bagelguillotine]

Well, it IS looking good color-wise. Obviously, you're going to have to move on at this point to working at the little features that make it "you." I'd say it's going to be really important to darken the eye sockets and, as you've said, create more contrasts to make it more three-dimensional. I'm sure you've discovered that adding a color's compliment will darken it. I don't suggest using burnt sienna entirely for the shadows--it might take over. Try some cooler colors.
I'd say be careful with the eyes, too--if you look closely, you can see that the eye shape can be done entirely with straight lines, which tend to make them more believable. The roundness of the lids make them seem somewhat exaggerated. Also, the mouth looks a little short--maybe extend it toward the left a little?
Good luck! It really is looking better, and I'm glad you're starting to become optomistic about it!

[Gunna]

G'day
I think all your questions are nearly as goood as as the 2 fine artists giving you advice(HEYSOOS & BAGEL) Your work is terrific and it's so good to be able to get such input from experienced painters.I love this site! Every question someone asks I Learn something new. Thanks Z,H &B.

[_zaphod_]

well.. here we go I had the eyes really good except for the highlights, but i changed them a little more and it made them worse it hink. i have to just stop fucking around with it though and be bold.

The green background is phoothsoped, i watned to see what type of background to insert, any ideas? all the colors are pretty much right (except MUCH more vibrant) except the green background.

Btw, it still looks proportionally off in that pic, but i dunno, it doesnt in real life so i think its just skewed.

[ArachosiA]

I know you may have already put a lot of work into this, but I would suggest starting over. The photograph you're using is not suitable for oil painting unless you are a master. Take a new photo of yourself which uses only one lightsource. And don't light your face from the front. Use one light source and light the side of your face. This way you will have definite shadow areas which will help to increase the sense of three-dimensionality.

When starting your paiting, try to divide the reference photo into five tones. Two shadow tones, two light tones, and a cast shadow tone. This is actually pretty easy if you have a photo with clear shadow and highlight areas (ie, the exact opposite of the photo your are using now). You need to break down your face into shapes. That's all painting is...just shapes of paint. Nothing more. So look at your face and try to find the biggest shadow area. Paint that area in the appropriate tone. Now find the largest light area and do the same. Okay, now you have two tones...only three more to go. Look at the large shadow area. You should notice some smaller and darker shapes within that area (perhaps a nostril or eyelid). Now paint those darker shapes. Those are the darkest parts of your painting. Now look at the large light area. You should notice smaller and lighter shapes within that area. Paint those in now. Now you have four tones. The cast shadow is the fifth tone, and I think you can probably forget about it for now and add it later with a glaze (not sure about this though).

At this point, your face should look pretty basic. Just four tones and very basic shapes. Use a blending brush to blend the tones together if you like. From here, you can look carefully for variations in skin tone and add them. Just remember one key rule: the biggest shapes go first and the smaller shapes go on top. Think of you painting as multiple layers of shapes. As the layers increase, the size of the shapes decreases. What this means is that details are the very last step. Do not make the mistake of starting with the details and then working around them. They ALWAYS come last.

As an example, lets say you want to paint an eye. Look for the biggest shape first. Is it the iris? No. Is it the eyelashes? No. It's the white of the eye. So you paint this first. Then look for the second to largest shape, which would be the iris. Then the pupil. Then the eyelashes and highlights. Just remember, painting is nothing more than shapes and the smallest shapes come last.