Portrait Painting in Oils
Location: Shane McDonald Studios
Learn how to:
-
produce a sketch or study for composition
purposes from life
-
discover the importance of starting
with a simplified drawing and separating lit and shadow
areas
-
measure the proportions of the face
for accuracy in likeness
-
mix colors from a limited palette
to make flesh tones
-
block-in planes of the face in proper
values
-
take good photographic references
with your camera
 Learn
steps to painting a portrait in oils (or pastels*) at this
relaxed-paced workshop instructed by portrait painter, Shane
McDonald. Working from a live model, Shane will demonstrate
painting a portrait from the beginning stages to completion
using oils. Between each stage, he will individually direct
students as they work from the same model to produce their
portrait. Basic drawing skills and minimal experience painting
* Because Shane works with pastels in
a similar "layer-building" manner to oils, students
who prefer not to use oils may opt to use pastels.
Easels and small supply tables
are supplied. I recommend standing to work, but chairs are
available for those who must sit. Class size limited to 8
students.
OIL MATERIALS
PAINTING GROUND: 16" X 20" or 18" X 24"
or 20" X 24" pre-primed canvas, (in tablet, mounted
on board, or stretched on stretchers), depending on your preference
for a bust portrait.
OIL COLORS: Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, Quinacridone
Rose, Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue, Cerulean Blue, Viridian
Green, and Sap Green.
PALETTE: Glass or large wooden palette with large flat mixing
surface (not plastic watercolor palette)
MEDIUM: Odorless Mineral Spirits and Silicoil Brush Cleaning
Jar are great for traveling artists. Another small pickle
jar holds your painting medium and is easier to open than
the jars they sometimes come in. Shane uses 1/4 stand linseed
oil, 1/4 damar varnish, and 1/2 odorless mineral spirits,
but your favorite liquid medium is also okay.
BASIC BRUSHES: 3 long and stiff-bristled filbert and flat
brushes ranging 1/4" wide to one inch wide for applying
paint and creating texture. 2 soft-bristled flat and bright
smoothing and blending brushes ranging between 1/2" to
1/8". 1 well-pointed soft round brush for details.
Vine charcoal may be used for initial drawing
PASTEL MATERIALS
PAPER & GROUND: any quality colored ground (paper or sized
and primed board) of a medium value may be used as long as
it holds many layers of pastels without fixative. Shane prefers
smooth texture or fine sand paper rather than laid-textured
paper. Please bring your own drawing board and masking tape.
SOFT PASTELS: As many soft pastel colors as possible. Keep
in a container packed to keep pastels from breaking. Shane
recommends the Rembrandt set of portrait colors, landscape
colors, and earth tones as the basic set. You may also want
to buy separately in softer brands (if possible) the following
hues: dark red (almost black), dark cool red (like alizarin
crimson), bright warm red, pink in 2 light tinted values,
light orange, dark cool blue (like ultramarine), medium blue
(cobalt), dark green (almost black), medium value green.
PASTEL PENCILS OR HARD DRAWING PASTELS: A set of 12 NuPastels
by Prismacolor or 12 Schwan/Stabilo Carb-Othello pastel pencils
is also recommended for sharp details and initial drawing.
A kneadable eraser will erase pastels without much damage
to the paper.
Download
detailed list of art supplies. (53kb Adobe
PDF file.)
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