Jared Ailstock

When painting a portrait, you want your subject to look their best while also capturing their personality or sense of style. Portraits are meant to showcase the unique beauty of the individual in front of you. To do this, it is important to understand the fundamentals of portrait painting and how to use them in your work. Here are some simple tips by portrait painter Jared Ailstock to help you create a great portrait.

Understand the Basics

It’s important to understand the basics of portrait painting and how they apply to your work. Portraits are not just simple color studies, they’re about capturing a subject’s personality and sense of style. With that in mind, Jared Ailstock indicates that it is important to be aware of certain colors that are flattering on skin, shapes that are flattering on people, and using negative space to create a focal point in the painting.

The Importance of Posing

Posing is a huge part of portrait painting. If you want your subject to look their best, they need to feel comfortable. When posing, Jared Ailstock recommends making sure you aren’t making your subject uncomfortable or awkward. For example, don’t have them looking down or to their side when they should be looking at the painter. Poses that are unnatural will not look good in the portrait. To help the subject feel more comfortable, it is important to establish eye contact and create a relaxed atmosphere for them.

Practicing with the Easel

Jared Ailstock recommends starting by practicing on your easel. This will form the foundation of your painting and help you create a composition that complements your subject matter. Practicing on an easel is a great way to get a feel for the medium and different techniques for painting.

Painting a Subject’s Eyes

Jared Ailstock shares that human eyes are the most prominent part of a portrait. They are also generally the first thing to be painted in a portrait. When painting the subject’s eyes, it is important to start with the top layer of skin near the eyebrows and paint towards the bottom eyelid. This will create a natural gradient that will make your subject's eye more realistic.

Using a Variety of Colors

The most important element of portrait painting is color. You can use a variety of colors to create your best work. More often, artists such as Jared Ailstock, will start with a base color, then add other layers on top of it to get the desired effect. For example, you can start with a white or grey background and then add subtle colors like reds, browns, and blues on top to get the final result. Similarly, you can use darker colors like black and browns to paint different moods for your subject.

Conclusion

After reading this article, you should feel confident when it comes to painting portraits.

Remember to paint in the simplest colors at first. It is important to practice techniques before using them on real subjects. Finally, don’t forget to set up your easel correctly and ask for help if you need it.

Paint your next portrait with these tips by talented painter Jared Ailstock in mind!

Portrait painting is a difficult, but rewarding art form. It can be a creative endeavor that lets you express your personality in a three-dimensional way. Some of the most talented artists in history have been portrait painters, including contemporary portrait painter, Jared Ailstock. Whether you are just starting out or already working on your portfolio, these top 5 best mediums for portrait painting will help you create amazing portraits with ease.

Oil Paint

Oil paint is a go-to medium for painting portraits. It's not just because it's versatile, but because you can easily create detailed brushes and textures with it. Oil paint is a great option for artists who want to focus on the natural look of their portraits.

You can use oil paint to create realistic skin tones, texture, and depth. You can also use it to make textures that are more difficult or time-consuming with other mediums like acrylic paint.

Oil painting is a traditional medium that has been around the longest. It was the first form of painting used in the West and is still used by many artists today—including some of the best portrait painters in history, such as Leonardo da Vinci and Vincent van Gogh.

Acrylic Paint

Acrylic paint is a great medium for portrait painting because it dries quickly and can be easily washed out with water. Acrylic paint also has a wide variety of colors that can create an infinite number of shades. For example, one color plus another color creates a third color.

If you're just starting out, New York-based artist Jared Ailstock recommends experimenting with different colored paints to see what works best for you. You may even want to start off with white paint and use that as your base before adding in other colors.

Another advantage of acrylic is its durability. Acrylic paint will last for years if it is properly stored, unlike oil paints which need to be replenished more frequently. However, acrylic paintings do not look as realistic as oil painting because they lack the richness of texture and finish.

Watercolour

Watercolour is a unique medium for portraits because it allows for a multitude of colours, tones, and textures. It provides an intense colour palette that lets you express all the emotions of your subject in a single painting. The paint dries quickly so you can create detailed brushstrokes, adding depth and dimension to your work.

If you're looking for a creative outlet where you can express yourself creatively, watercolour is a great choice, advises Jared Ailstock. The paint dries quickly so you can easily experiment with different colours and techniques.

Pencil and Charcoal

This medium is great for beginners because of its simplicity. It's also a good way to practice your skills because it doesn't require you to use any other materials, such as paint. The only thing you'll need is a pencil and some charcoal.

Ink and Mixed Media

Ink and mixed media are some of the best mediums for portrait painting. They're easy to work with, and wonderfully expressive. In fact, you could use ink and mixed artists materials for just about any type of artwork, but they are especially good for portraits.

One of the benefits of using ink is that it's a versatile, permanent medium. It can be used to create large-scale works or small-scale drawings, making it ideal for artists with different skill levels.

Another benefit is that ink doesn't require a lot of preparation before you start painting. You don't have to prime your surface or anything like that; you just need paper and ink! One of the downsides is that while it's permanent, it takes a long time to dry after you finish painting. Another downside is that ink can be expensive if you're going with quality brands like Winsor and Newton.

Mixed media is an exciting medium because it allows you to combine a variety of different materials into one piece of art. You can use watercolors, oil pastels and gouache in your mixed media paintings to create beautiful textures and bold colors in each layer of the artwork. The downside is that mixed media requires more preparation than other traditional mediums.