Portrait
Painting in Acrylics
Painting
the Eyes
The
eyes are the most important detail of a portrait and
it is essential that you paint them first. They are
the focal point of the face and the feature that brings
the image to life. If, at the outset, you can suggest
that spark of vitality which the eyes bring to a portrait,
you will establish a strong foundation for the work,
which in turn, will give you the confidence to tackle
the other features of the face.
The
Elements of the Eye
There
are a few key elements that you need to capture
in painting an eye: the
solidity of the eyeball and surrounding eyelids,
the luminosity of the iris, the depth of the pupil,
and the reflected highlight on the surface of
the eye.
The
three images above illustrate the painting of the
eye at different stages:
1.
The image on the left illustrates the initial underpainting
of the eye in flat colours.
2.
The middle image shows the first application of dark
and light colours which begin to establish the solidity
of the eyeball and eyelids:
- The
White of the Eye : a dark grey glaze is mixed
from scarlet red, yellow medium azo and phthalocyanine
blue and lightened with opaque titanium white.
This is then applied in graduated layers to render
the dark tones of the white of the eye. Note how
the upper eyelid casts a strong shadow across
the eye while the lower eyelid registers a weaker
one. These shadows create the illusion that eyeball
is resting comfortably in its socket.
- The
Iris : glazes of burnt sienna and titanium
white are combined to suggest the refracted light
of the brown iris. A little prussian blue is added
to darken the burnt sienna around the outer edge
of the iris.
- The
Pupil : ivory black with a hint of prussian
blue is applied as the main colour of the pupil.
A grey glaze, mixed with titanium white for its
opaque qualities, conveys depth in the suggestion
of a reflected image.
- The
Reflected Highlight : this bright glint of
light on the eye is built up with layers of thinly
mixed titanium white.
- The
Eyelids : the initial tone and form of the
eyelids is sketched with strokes of a burnt sienna
glaze.
3.
The image on the right depicts the eye as it appears
in the finished portrait, after some adjustments
and refinements are made to the basic tones and
colours.
All
the fine details of our portrait were painted using
sizes 1, 0 and 00 sable brushes.
Balancing
the Eyes
The
overall balance between the eyes is a key element
in achieving any likeness. You should build up the
painting of both eyes at the same time in
order to capture the balance between them. This essential
relationship is far more difficult to achieve if you
bring one eye to a state of completion and then start
on the other.
Our
lesson on pencil
portraits
should help you with drawing
the eye.
