New Page 2. Art Materials Demonstrations. How to Paint a Portrait in Oil Step by Step. About Karin Karin Wells is an artist of amazing versatility. She graduated with honors from both the New England School of Art and Design, Boston, 1965, and the Butera School of Art, Boston, 1986. Karin has enjoyed a career as an award-winning graphic designer, illustrator and sign painter. She also taught Life Drawing and Painting for many years. She has most recently studied for three years at The New England School of Classical Painting in Greenfield, New Hampshire, under the direction of Numael Pulido.
To expand her craft, Karin has traveled throughout Europe studying the Old Masters. The artist is a member of The American Society of Portrait Artists, Portrait Society of America, The Portrait Society of Atlanta, and The Copley Society of Boston. To learn more about Karin and to view more of her amazing work, be sure to visit her website and blog by following the links below: Website: Blog: (Click Images for Larger Views) Yikes! Portrait painting. Painting Portraits: Principles Portraits have been painted for many reasons, to: 1. Achieve a likeness of the sitter's features. 2. Preserve the identity of someone for future generations, particularly before the advent of photography. 3. Create a souvenir, a loyal remembrance of someone now absent or dead. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. The aims are far from exclusive, and portrait paintings today will be balancing many of these aims against the fee and expectations of the client.
Painting a Portrait: Some General Advice Most portrait artists begin with drawings of the sitter. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Portraits: Painting on a Dark Ground Solomon {5} suggests these steps for portrait painting: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Portraits: Painting on a Toned Ground The following approach is more general, and emphasizes the need to a. work out everything in advance and b. undertake oil sketches to solves problems as they arise. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Portraits in Oil: Specific Hints 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.