How to Oil Paint Black Hair

Painting with oil may seem a bit tricky, but with some practice and a steady hand you can achieve a beautiful and unique representation. Details such as hair, especially black hair, can cause some frustration if not thought about and planned out ahead of time. Finding the right brush, or brushes, and mixing a range of colors are key in producing interesting details. Practice makes perfect so remember to always create some samples before jumping in to the final project.

Things You'll Need

• Mixing palette
• Brushes
• Practice boards
• Canvas

Instructions

1. Mix your colors. On your palette create at least three different hues of the color to be use for the hair. Remember that even natural black hair is still a layering of multiple dark hues.

2. Practice your techniques first. Try a couple of different smaller brushes and attempt different angles and pressures to gauge the technique best suited for your style of painting.

3. Create the base tone. Using the darkest color, fill in the area of the head starting closest to the scalp and not yet reaching the furthest edges of the desired hair length since the darkest parts of hair tend to be in the deepest layers.

4. Create the outer layers. Starting with the next-lighter hue, bring the stroke further out creating more length. Use subtle strokes of the previous darker color and some of the lightest hue (your third or fourth color mix) to enhance the layers and add depth.

5. Create reflections. Hair is shiny and reflects light and so deciding on the direction of your light source is very important. Using the lightest of the hues, and possibly adding a bit more white to the mixture, create small lighter areas where the light would hit the hair. Consider that "all the people you meet…are lighted from above".

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that there many styles of painting and many many ways of executing similar results. Practice is crucial in creating the desired result as well as patience. Oil paint can take anywhere from a couple of days to a week to dry, depending on temperature and humidity levels in your area.

• Especially when using dark pigments make sure to paint in a clean, open space free from clutter.

• Don't wear your best clothes and keep a few good rags around. Oil paint is almost impossible to get out of clothing and furniture.

References

• "Leonardo's Notebooks"; Leonardo Da Vinci; 2005