Paint Expressive Portraits Like Your Landscapes

Painting landscapes in in a bold, expressive manner is great. But often artists forget this approach when painting portraits. The portrait is painted in a tight style with little brushstrokes. All the excitement is gone and you may feel disappointed with the result. Trying to get a likeness becomes inhibiting. But it does not have to be that way. You can still get a likeness and use bold brushwork and color.

In this week's video diary I am painting an oil sketch to illustrate this idea. Using a size 8 long flat bristle brush to ensure that loose and painterly style is not lost. So often artist leave the bristle brush for soft hair brushes when they start a portrait. That is okay if you want a smooth photo finish. But bristles can leave a wonderful texture even on portraits. Plus you will note he wide variety of brushstrokes and details that this large brush can achieve.

Maybe you will be inspired to try a loose approach with your portraits. Go for the gesture and achieve a likeness this way without worrying about a photo-real painting.

Take a look at this oil sketch to see what I mean.

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Discover how to paint in a loose style: Now you can learn how to paint in that loose, impressionist style you love. Find out at How to Loosen Up Your Painting.