Acrylic Painting Assignment #1: Portrait

Day 1

1. Paint a very light wash of red over the face and hair. Make sure to use enough water so that the pencil lines show through. Around the outside of the hair, fill in with a wash of colour (green or blue are good choices).		2. Mix a shadow colour using red with some white and a small amount of blue. Use a little less colour on the brush near the edges, to make blending easier next step.
3. Create a lighter version of your shadow colour by mixing red oxide with white. Paint the above areas. Where this layer meets layer 1, use wet colour to blend the two. When the layer is dry, add a line under the bottom of the nose and lip with a dark shadow colour.		4. Create a peach colour by taking white and adding a small amount of red. Paint in the rest of the face area, blending with the edge of the last layer.

Day 2

5. Add a light pink to the highlight areas on the skin. Eyes: Paint the white area of the eyes, using a grey colour along the top and the left corners for shading. Mouth: Using a red or dark pink, paint the top and bottom lip. Leave just enough unpainted so that you can see center line separating the two lips.		6. Eyes: Pick a dark colour for the eyes and paint the irises on the tops and sides. Mouth: With a lighter pink, paint over the right side of the bottom lip. When dry, add a highlight of pure white.
7. Use a lighter eye colour, and paint the bottom of the iris.		8. Eyes: Paint the pupil in straight black. When dry, add a white highlight in each eye. Use black to outline the top of each eye, as well as the rim of the iris. Mouth: Use black or dark grey to emphasize the line at the center of the mouth.
9. Pick your darkest hair colour, either black or dark brown. Make sure your brush strokes follow the direction of the hair. Add eyebrows in this same colour.		10. Pick a lighter colour, and paint the rest of the hair, following the direction of the hair with your brushstrokes.
11. Pick your lightest hair colour, and highlight the areas of the hair that would be lit by your light source.		12. Mix your lightest hair colour with white and add a few thin brushstrokes to create a shine on the hair. Choose a shirt colour and paint the shirt in, and you're done!