Artistic Oil Portraiture on Paper

Your teacher Camila O'Gorman kicks off the course by talking about her work as an artist specializing in oil painting, her biggest influences and sources of inspiration, as well as her creative process.

Get started by organizing your space in order to work more comfortably and efficiently. Camila walks you through how to choose materials for your final project before helping you select the ideal photo to work from.

Learn how to prep your paper and oil paints, all about their properties, the choice of pigments, and the use of alkyd resin. Next, do a few exercises on tonal value using five colors.

Time to work on your portrait! First, outline your composition by defining areas of light and shadow, then build on it using secondary colors to boost expressiveness and add contrast through subtle details and different temperatures.

Now turn your attention to facial features by gradually introducing more color schemes, making adjustments, repainting where needed, and softening some areas to redefine others. Round out the course by putting the finishing touches on your portrait to perfect your final artwork.