PORTRAIT EXERCISES
Introduce Titanium White into
the mainly warm colours with subtle
additions of Cobalt Blue to dilute the
strength. Greenish Yellow can also
heat up the light tints.
Avoid over-mixing the colours before
applying them so that gentle streaks
of pure colour can penetrate through.
Primary Cyan, Cobalt Blue,
Ultramarine Violet, Burnt Sienna and
Yellow Ochre can be used for the
facial hair which melds into a green
ochre on the lighter side.
Use a 1.5” flat with plenty of
Titanium White, Azo Yellow Medium,
Pyrrole Red and dabs of cooler colour
to create some highlights. This adds
some lovely contrast against the
darker tones.
Build the lighter tints around the
face, paying particular attention to
variations of colour. Darken the hair
with a similar combination of colours
from the beard with less violet and
use the darker tone for the eyes.
Titanium White with Greenish Yellow,
Cobalt Blue and Burnt Sienna can be
used for the lighter tints in the hair.
Darken the top and background with
the introduction of Prussian Blue
mixed with other dark tones.
Use the smaller 1” brush at the
end to bolster the clarity and add
some crispness. These marks can
slow down the painting process as
more technical requirements come
into play. As one area is defined, the
looseness of another is exposed, so
there is a certain amount of balancing
to be done at the end, while trying
not to lose the spontaneity of the
initial applications.
Hashim Akib’s new book, Painting
Portraits in Acrylics, is published
by Search Press, RRP £14.99.
http://www.hashimakib.co.uk