a thread of how i create my paintings bc i don’t believe in gate keeping

i’ve been painting portraits for almost a year now n there’s still sm i have to learn but i’ve found that painting is so much easier bc i had prior experience with drawing faces. so my first piece of advice (if u haven’t already) is to learn both proportions n value scales.

i practice sketching out the face on paper before doing it on canvas bc it’s harder to erase mistakes. once u feel satisfied w ur sketch , then draw it on canvas. i put a coat of liquitex gesso on top so that my pencil marks don’t smear.

i’ve started sketching w diluted acrylic bc i feel more comfortable w drawing on canvas n the process is faster tbh. i sketch in yellow paint bc it’s bright enough so that u can make it out from a distance but also not too bold that it can be seen underneath subsequent layers.

when drawing on large surfaces , i use grid method bc it’s harder to achieve accuracy when the face is bigger. i do grid method on anything larger than a 24x30. there are a few apps that allow u to turn ur reference image into a grid.

when doing my underpainting , i change my reference image to black n white. that way i’m not focusing on the chroma or hue but just the value. doing an underpainting is a lot easier when u have experience w drawing bc u have a clear understanding of tints n shades.

underpaintings are optional n don’t have a huge impact on the finished product. it’s just a tool i use to “preview” the painting so i can map out the shading n lighting , n make any necessary changes to my sketch. i use really thinned out red paint for my underpaintings.

i do my final painting in 3 layers. first i map out my shadows and dark areas , then i do mid tones , then finally my last layer is highlights n fine details. always paint the lightest colors on top. i use masters touch and decoart craft paint.

when i started painting , i had trouble with color accuracy. thankfully there are also apps out there that have the eye dropper tool and will tell u exactly what colors are in an image.