Portrait Painting, You Can Get Better Results Using These Two Simple Techniques

In the following article I am going to give two simple techniques to help you as an artist achieve accuracy in your portraiture. Sometimes as an artist you will start to evolve these techniques without even realising that you are using them, however, putting these techniques into words often helps the beginner.

The first technique is the application of negative shapes in your art. Essentially a negative shape is a shape formed around the head or body of a person that you can objectify. A classic negative shape would be the shape of the space between a body's arms and hips. Using negative shapes, you may see a curl of hair on the head you are painting. The curl of hair will interact with the background you are drawing. It may protrude into the spine of a book, half way up, on a bookcase behind the person you are drawing. As an artist it is easier for you to draw something you can define as an objective reality rather than something you feel emotionally about. So you would in this example draw the shapes formed between the bookcase, the head, the shoulders and the curl of hair. By drawing the negative shapes formed by the head and the bookcase accurately you will obtain a correct perspective and proportion for the head without even considering the head shape.

You can start to use negative shapes within the structure of the face and head as well. Take the effect of light for example. It is always good for an artist to draw a portrait in good directional light which casts shadows. This makes form much easier to see and define than a soft non directional light source. In directional light there will be shadows cast around the nose, around the forehead and the eyes. Start to look at the shadows and consider their shapes. Again by using this technique we are removing emotion from our work and making it easy to see an objective reality. The shadow cast by light on an eye often takes the shape of a triangle with one side flat down the side of the nose. Study and draw the triangle and not the eye. If this is correct then the proportions of the eye will start to fall into place without any worry on your part that you are not getting the shape quite right.

The second simple technique I would like to give you to use is called plumbing. Plumbing is imagining a vertical line on your drawing. You can if you wish lightly draw a vertical line to assist you further. For example imagine a vertical line from the outside corner of an eye. Follow this down. How near would this line approach the corner of the mouth. This technique is most useful if you are drawing or painting a head which is inclined from the vertical. It is also much more real for the viewer to see a head inclined slightly in thought than held erect like a statue.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this short article and if you start to use these two simple techniques you will be pleasantly surprised at the results you start to achieve.

Mark Robb is a practising artist based in Haworth. If you have enjoyed the article above then he invites you to browse the website http://firstforart.com/ where you will find all kinds of art materials, art prints and further advice and tips to help you become a better artist

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Learning How To Paint - Acrylic Painting Techniques and Materials

Everybody knows what painting is, which is the practice of applying paint to a medium. However, there are different painting techniques that one has to master doing on different materials in order to become proficient as a painter. It is important to realize that it is one thing to play around with paints and another to become a real artist. Although there are people who would claim that being an artist is an inborn talent, you can actually become one if you will only set your mind to it. Bear in mind that every person is an artist in his or her own way and you only have to learn how to express your potential through learning painting techniques.

Learning the various painting techniques is a lifetime effort. The process would be challenging but a very rewarding one. You can be a skillful painter in a reasonable amount of time but aim to start with the fundamentals, as it is the foundation where every skill and knowledge you will acquire later would be built on. Without a strong basic knowledge on the techniques, you will produce amateurish paintings even if you have a great talent. Thus, you must be able to understand perspective, lighting, composition toning, color combinations, color theory and other techniques that are essential in developing your artistic potential. In addition, you should also learn how to care for the materials you use, mix your paint on your palette, set up your studio, and effectively use your paintbrushes.

One of the most common kinds of paint used in painting is acrylic although it was first used only in the fifties. It became popular fast because it is versatile, very adaptable and you can create effects that are similar to watercolors or oil paints. Acrylic is water-soluble and water base but if you want to learn painting techniques for acrylic, you have to keep in mind that acrylic dries quickly so you must be able to paint fast, especially if you have to blend different colors.

The fast drying characteristic of acrylic can be a disadvantage or an advantage depending on the project you are working on. However, what is great about trying different painting techniques with acrylic is that you do not have to worry about allergies or bad odors, which you have to deal with when doing an oil painting. In addition, because acrylic is quick drying, you do not have to wait for almost an hour for your painting to dry. Once the paint is dry, it becomes resistant to water and you could paint over the first layer without color disturbance. You can find out more about acrylic painting online through specialized sites.

If you like to practice painting techniques by doing graffiti, you could make use of paint pens by Sharpie for lettering. The pens are available in various points, which range from extra fine to extra broad, both perfect for writing short messages with your paintings. You can find out more about the paint pens by searching online.

Michael Dierson is an accomplished author, business promoter, and an early stage investor, writing about a variety of diverse topics such as acrylic painting techniques and sharpie paint pens for a variety of different industries.

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Watercolor Painting Techniques - For the Beginners

Watercolor painting is of great fun. Kids just love to paint applying watercolor because it provides them with the best amusement. If you are the one who is not aware of watercolor painting, you should learn the right procedure. It is not a tough task but will need lot of patience to imply the art properly. Beginners might think it to be creepy and daunting, but once you learn the procedure everything will become easy.

Before we start, you should know that three basic things are required for this form of painting. They are painting brush, color and water.

The most important thing that you should know which shape and size of the brush is required. Choosing the right brush kind of matters a lot. For bigger and full painting, thick blending brush will be the perfect choice. Shape of the brush can be round, flat or filbert. Holding the brush in the correct manner will end up in good painting.Handling the brush in the right way is necessary. If you are not able to handle the brush properly, you can't expect good painting. Do not hold the brush tightly. Clutch the brush as you handle a pen or a pencil. You can either control it easily or can pinch the brush on the paper.If you want to learn the technique properly, practicing various types of effects will help you a lot to master the art. Beginners should start with flat wash, graded wash, and glazed wash. After you become master of these techniques, apply the advanced ones like splattering and spray textures or alcohol textures. Before mastering the art, do not try to apply those advanced methods.You should be well aware of the amount of water to be mixed with the color to get the exact effect you want. Wet painting involves high use of water and on the other hand dry painting needs less use of water.To increase the durability of colors, you can make use of additives like glycerin or honey. To improve the texture of colors, solvents can also be added. If you are looking for latest water-color paints accessible in the market, opt for the fugitive and non-fugitive paint colors.

Some safety tips for the beginners:- Before you start with painting, arrange each and everything properly. Place the water bowl a bit away from the painting paper. Most importantly, before applying a new color, make sure that you have wash the brush properly.

Steve Takajo is not only a writer but is also a painter. Beginners can learn more on oil painting techniques and painting techniques for walls, by visiting his website. Please have a look!

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