Explore your creativity and bring out the artist in you.
Explore your creativity and bring out your inner artist. Painting isn't only for professionals and can become an enjoyable hobby for everyone. Use photos, a collage, or draw your own creation using a charcoal pencil to get your creative juices flowing. You'll find it challenging at first, but like riding a bike, the more you do it the more enjoyable it becomes.
Instructions
1. Don't complicate your sketch with fine details.
Save time by planning your composition. Make a line drawing of your subject in your sketchpad using your charcoal pencil. If you're not good at drawing, tracing is OK, or you can make a collage using photos, copies or magazines. Keep your sketch simple and focus on bigger details such as the shapes of your figures and the spaces between them.
2. Make a grid to help you focus on one section at a time.
Use a ruler to draw a grid over your sketch. Using light pressure, make a proportional grid on the canvas with your charcoal pencil. Transfer your sketch onto your canvas, focusing more on individual sections than the complete picture. Look at the shapes around your figure (negative space) and use those shapes to help you render your lines better. Draw lightly and if you make a mistake wipe it off with a damp cloth.
3. Adding too much paint to your palette can be wasteful.
Add a dime-size drop of each color onto your palette. Mineral spirits (paint thinner) will make them easier to mix and dry faster. Use your palette knife to get your paint to a workable consistency. Avoid making paint too runny and mixing too many colors together that will result in muddy browns.
You may also use linseed oil to thin and mix paint, but this slows drying time from hours to days. Keep in mind that you want the lower layers to dry quickly.
4. Oil paintings need drying time between layers.
Paint thinly onto your canvas in the first layer. Carefully avoid blurring your sketch, which will darken your brush. Wipe off your brush when you pick up charcoal. Use different brushes for each color. Mistakes can be wiped off with paper towels. Allow the first layer to dry before continuing.
5. Portraits don't have to be photorealistic---be playful.
Add finer detail with each new layer. Having a dry layer beneath makes it possible for you to carefully wipe out mistakes as they happen. Avoid rubbing too hard or you'll mar the surface. Use less mineral spirits in your paint with each additional layer. Continue to add layers until you're happy with your painting.
