A bold approach to portrait painting in oils 3

I now begin the second portrait sitting. As the oil paint is dry, I apply a coat of retouching varnish. This restores any colours which may have sunk and makes the surface receptive to fresh paint. “Oiling out ” is another technique which may be used. This is where you rub the surface of the painting with a soft cloth dipped in medium,as though polishing it. Again, it will liven up any “dead” areas.

As the painting is dry, I check for any areas where I wish to apply transparent glazes of colour – e.g. the nose, chin, and parts of the forehead. I now focus on the eyes, once more checking shapes and modifying the colour and tone of both the pupils and irises, trying to capture the moisture and light within them.
Using stiff pigment, I build up the texture of the flesh under the eyes and in the forehead. I flick in some of the creases, laughter lines, but soften them with a cloth or drag paint over , so they do not appear simply stuck on like theatrical make-up.
I cool down some of the more fiery flesh tones and add a cool greenish reflected light on the left side of the face. The background also is lightened and a little more detail added to the ear.
The second sitting now draws to a close.

TIPS
Try using retouching varnish between sessions.
Also, try the “oiling out” method.
Experiment with glazing and scumbling techniques to see the different effects that can be achieved.