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Are you anxious about painting life portraits in your oil painting classes in Toronto? Your worrying is absolutely justified; however, we believe that even though painting portraits may seem like a daunting task, it can be mastered if you avoid some common mistakes and follow the useful tips listed below.
Refer to your subject as often as needed
Don’t hesitate to keep checking your subject as many times as you need to. If you need some practice before the actual live portrait oil painting class, you could try your hand at a self-portrait by setting up a mirror or draw inspiration from a photograph.
Pick your colors carefully
When painting life portraits, it’s important to choose the colors carefully. Ultramarine, titanium white, crimson, yellow ochre, burnt umber, and burnt sienna are some of the commonly used colors for flesh tones. It’s crucial that you get the tints, shades, and tones right. Pay attention to the tonal nuances.
Focus on the composition balance
One of the other things that you need to get right is composition balance to ensure that your life portrait looks realistic and visually appealing. This would be the time to apply all the knowledge that you’ve gained so far in your drawing and oil painting classes. Use techniques that you’re comfortable working with to arrange all visual elements to achieve composition balance.
Capture the emotions of the subject
Observe the subject’s facial expressions and body language. Does the subject look happy, sad, angry, annoyed, or tired? In order to capture the emotions of portraiture, it’s not only essential to observe the subject’s expressions, but also the pose, the gesture, and their clothing, among other important aspects that you plan to include in your life portrait.
We hope that these tips are useful to you. VR School of Art offers the most innovative oil painting classes in Toronto. Contact us today to find an art course that’s aligned with your goals, and to learn more about our enrolment schedule.