How to Paint People With Acrylics

Use a variety of paintbrushes to paint the figure--starting with larger paintbrushes for large expanses of paint, and working your way down to small paintbrushes for the details.

Many painters either love or hate acrylic paints. Acrylics are a fast-drying medium, somewhat similar to oil paints when dry. Unlike oil paints, however, acrylic paints dry very quickly. Acrylic paints are water-based, unlike oil paints, and because they dry quickly, they must be handled in a special way. Whereas oil paints are easy to blend, acrylic paints can be difficult. Acrylic painters must work quickly or thin the paint.

Things You'll Need

• Paintbrushes (variety of shapes)
• Paint (variety of colors)
• Canvas
• Jar of water
• Spray bottle

Instructions

1. Draw several studies of your subject in pencil on paper. Work from a photograph or a live subject.

2. Draw the outline of the figure or figures on your canvas. Don't include details.

3. Paint a quick wash over the figures, leaving out details. Paint the base colors only--no highlights or shadows. A "wash" of acrylic paint is a layer of acrylic that has been thinned with drops of water. The more water used, the thinner the paint. Use a medium- to small-sized paintbrush.

4. Build up thicker layers of paint over the thin wash you painted in Step 3. Use smaller and smaller paintbrushes to paint details. Work quickly. Acrylic paint dries very fast, but to blend the layers of paint, you'll need to apply the paint to the canvas while it is still wet.

5. Spray a fine mist of water over the canvas to prevent the paint from drying. Repeat this step throughout the painting process.

6. Paint large details on the figure or figures, including facial features and patterns on clothes.

7. Paint smaller details on the figures such as eyelashes and teeth.

Tips & Warnings

• Darker flesh tones should be mixed using brown, blue, red, yellow and a little white. Lighter flesh tones should be mixed using red, yellow, white, and a little bit of blue or green.

• Another way to keep paint from drying on the canvas is to use acrylic retarder. This can be purchased in art and craft stores. Follow the manufacturer's directions on the bottle.

References

• Elfwood; Acrylic Painting

Resources

• Ben Saber; How To Paint People