Painting an Oil Portrait: Top 12 Tips & Tricks for Beginners

Painting portraits is challenging to learn but rewarding to master. Being able to capture the likeness of someone in an oil painting is a remarkable ability.

However, it takes work to paint an oil portrait. As a beginner, you may be unsure where to start.

Today, we’re highlighting some of the best tips and tricks beginners can use to paint effective oil portraits today.

Refer to your Subject Frequently: Many beginners make the fatal mistake of not referring to their subject frequently. You might not have a recent image of your subject. Or, you might try to paint your subject from memory. Keep a large and clear image of your subject close by. Use a large, clear, well-lit mirror if painting a self-portrait.

Get a Better Reference Image: Another fatal mistake with oil portrait painting is not having a good reference image. You might have a small, blurry photo of the subject, for example. Or, the photo may have inadequate light or detail. Find a better photograph. Otherwise, your oil portrait is doomed from the start.

Choose the Best Colors for Flesh Tones: If you’re unfamiliar with oil portrait painting, then color selection can be challenging. Typically, artists use the same colors to produce flesh tones over time, including ultramarine, titanium white, crimson, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, and burnt umber. You can paint oil portraits with any color, but beginners should start with these colors.

Start with Dark Tones: Most oil portrait painters paint from dark to light, which helps to build the depth of your painting. Start with dark tones, then move to mid-tones, then finish with light tones. This tip works particularly well with hair. Start with darker tones of the hair, then layer up to lighter areas of the hair.

Draw or Trace the Outline First: Another beginner mistake is to avoid painting or tracing an outline first. If you don’t have an outline of your subject, you could quickly run into balance issues. Start with the eyes, tracing a rough outline of the nose, lips, hair, and other notable features. By starting with the eyes, your build other crucial features around this area, moving out as you complete the portrait.

Don’t Overdo the Background: As a beginner oil portrait painter, it’s easy to overdo the background. However, it’s better to emphasize a simple background. A complex or overdone background distracts from the subject. A simple background makes the subject the star of the show.

Practice With Self-Portraits: Many of the best portrait painters got their start with self-portraits. You’re more forgiving when painting a photo of yourself. It’s a better starting point as a beginner. Once you get more experience, you’ll be more comfortable painting other people.

Pay Attention to Shadows: Shadows make the difference between an effective self-portrait – and an effective self-portrait. Ideally, your reference image (or mirror, if creating a self-portrait) will highlight realistic shadows.

Detail the Eyes First: We hinted at this tip above, but it’s worth mentioning again. With many portraits, the eyes become the focal point. Start your tracing or outline with the eyes, then start painting by detailing the eyes.

Practice Painting Eyes: Eyes are so important, in fact, that you should practice painting eyes separately. If you want to master portrait painting, then good eye painting is crucial. With practice, you’ll realize certain things you may not have realized before – like the fact that eyes are not pure white, and that there are always shadows and details within the white part of the eye. Implementing this tip will take your oil portrait painting to the next level.

Paint Lightest Colors on Top: We mentioned going from dark to light above, but that doesn’t mean ignoring the lightest parts of your portrait for last. Instead, paint your lightest colors on top, adding detail towards the later stages of your painting. Balancing the darker areas of your portrait (like the shadows) with lighter details creates an effective and realistic portrait.

Choose a Background Color that Doesn’t Compete with your Subject: Minimalistic backgrounds are important for portraits, but color is also important. Choose a background color that contrasts with your subject in an effective way. You don’t want a background that blends in with the subject’s hair, for example, or clashes with the rest of the image.  

Painting oil portraits can seem challenging, but with practice, it’s a lot easier than you think. Implement the tips and tricks above today to become amore effective oil portrait painter in no time.

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