Things You'll Need:
- Watercolor paper or canvas
- Large (1.5 in or larger) paintbrush
- Watercolors
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Step 1
Locate a picture or portrait of a person to use as a reference point for painting a watercolor head. Make sure that you use a photograph that is large enough that allows you to see the light gradations of the head as well as the use of shadow and contrast
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Step 2
Using a soft lead sketching pencil sketch a basic oval outline on a piece of canvas paper or watercolor paper. Lightly indicate where you will paint the portrait. Make the oval large enough so that you can adequately show the various features on the face.
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Step 3
Mix a flesh tone color a couple of shades darker than you want the final flesh tone. Use brown and white, noting that darker skin will require more dark paint. Thoroughly mix the paint and test the color out on a test sheet to ensure that it is dark enough to be used as the basic skin tone.
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Step 4
Choose a fairly wide, about 1.5 inch, watercolor brush and begin painting inside the pencil sketch to indicate where the head will be. Paint down from the oval to indicate a neck if you have room on your canvas. It will give anatomical validity to your painting and allow for greater use of shadow and contrast.
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Step 5
Use a slightly moistened wash cloth or painter's cloth and wipe away some of the darker flesh color paint on one side of the head. It will indicate where the light is falling on the head. Allow this part of the painting to dry before moving on to paint any details of on the face.
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Step 6
Return to your head after it has dried and paint ears and an outline of hair. Go back over sections of the head and add white to give slight glimmers of light that indicate where the highest points of light are on the head. Typically this glimmer will occur around the eyes, teeth, and under the eyes on the cheekbones.
