2. Vibrancy

HASHIM AKIB ’s new series features exercises for creating stylish, modern portraits. Here he shows how to use vibrant colours without overpowering a painting

One of the main issues when painting any skin tone is the lack of strong colour. White is generally over-used to create pastel tints that can look chalky and dull. For darker skin tones, some may overuse Burnt Umber. Beginners may even be tempted to plump for a tube of Flesh Tint, which in no way is representative of the multitude of real-life skin pigments.

Skin tones tend to look consistent from distance and colour may come from an accessory someone is wearing or a shot of colour in the background. On closer inspection, skin has a variety of subtle hues. These colours can be affected by illness, bruising, light, temperature, or reflected colour and can vary with age. Initially it’s important to simply be open to seeing these variations.

Painting portraits with acrylics can be tricky. Whereas oils allow for excessive blending and feathering, acrylics can appear flat if the pigment is overworked. In order to retain colour brilliance, try to be more decisive with your brushstrokes. This can be difficult when a certain amount of accuracy is involved, so it may be that you make allowances for the drawing in order to create a more effective overall painting. Some of my favourite portraits bear less of a resemblance to the sitter, but it’s normally the case that the reference material isn’t on show with the painting. Commissions often require an accurate representation but, if you’re starting out, get lots of practise under your belt before worrying about this.

EXERCISE 1

AIM

Here is an exercise to explore a richer palette of strong, warm colours. Darker skin tones are a great place to start if you want to use more saturated colour. With less pastel tints, colours will have a chance to spark to life.

MATERIALS