The Artist - UK (2019-12)

36 artistDecember 2019 http://www.painters-online.co.uk

ASPECTS OF PORTRAITURE: 2ND 0F 4

Kathy Barker continues her series on

portraiture by taking you through the basics

of painting lips – including what to look for

Lips in terms of shape, colours and teeth

J

ohn Singer Sargent (1856–1925)

famously defined a portrait as

‘A likeness in which there is

something wrong about the mouth.’

The mouth is probably one of the most

expressive features of the face. I think

Front-on lips width

goes beyond the

wings of the nose

Beginners tend to make the

mouth far too narrow in width

Pouty lips

When you look at a mouth front-on,

the mouth is generally wider than you

might think, being more or less in line

with the central part of the eyes or iris.

Another gauge is to observe that lips go

beyond the width of the wings of a nose

(below).

Note the shape of the cupid’s bow of

the top lip: think of the top lip as two

mountain peaks – are the peaks close

together or far apart? The bow will vary

depending on the form of, and the

expression on, the lips. These peaks

lead down to what is called the tubercle

(or procheilon) of the upper lip, the

fleshy triangular projection in the centre

of the top lip. Above the tubercle lies

the indentation or philtrum that runs

Soft lipstick lips detail

I used the same basic palette with a little

permanent rose, or you can use alizarin if

preferred

Example of plumb lips

A very wide range of colours are

achievable with a limited earth palette

Thin top lip

lips can be one of the most challenging

features because the mouth is a little

more complex in structure and it’s easy

to make lips too harsh or to suggest the

wrong expression.

Lip colours and shapes

Use a brown or mix one from your red

and black, keep it thin using a little

turps and paint/draw the shape of

your top lip. Alternatively, you can

begin with the line produced from

the meeting of top and bottom lip.

Make sure you judge the distance to

the base of the nose either visually

or by comparative measurement.

Top lips are usually a little darker

than the bottom lip, which initially is

just defined by the shadow running

beneath the bottom lip. See how the

top lip can be filled in with the brush

whilst drawing. There are no drawn

outside edges – the margin of the

upper and lower lips is known as the

vermilion border. In fact, when you

study the outer edging of the lips, it’s

lighter in value and contrasts with the

lighter skin tone. The darkest line will

be where the lips meet, which can be

accentuated at some later point.