How to Fix Common Mistakes in Portrait Painting, by Elli Milan on YouTube. 29 min 25 s.
- Video length
- 29 min 25 s
- Time to do it
- 45 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Put your painting next to the reference photo in the same light. Step back a few feet and squint at both to compare the overall light and dark shapes.
Check the values first. If the shadows on the face are too light, mix a darker tone and glaze it into the shadow areas to rebuild contrast.
Look for muddy or grey skin. Remix your flesh tones with cleaner colour and add a touch of warm red or orange where the skin should glow.
Soften hard edges on the cheeks, jaw and forehead with a dry brush. Keep crisp edges only where forms turn sharply, like the nostrils and eyelids.
Compare the placement of the eyes, nose and mouth against the reference. Measure with your brush handle and shift features that sit too high, low or wide.
Fix the eyes last. Add a clear highlight in the iris and a darker pupil so the gaze reads and the face stops looking blank.
Darken the background or the area behind the head if the face does not stand out. A simple darker backdrop pushes the portrait forward.
Step back again and compare with the reference. Make one or two final adjustments, then leave the painting to dry before judging it.
Tips and common mistakes
Squint at your work often, since it hides detail and shows whether the big shapes and values are right.
Fix one problem at a time and step back after each change so you do not overwork the paint.
Keep skin mixes clean by wiping your brush between colours, as muddy mixtures are the most common beginner error.
Questions
Can I fix these mistakes on a dry oil painting?
Yes. Paint over dry oil with fresh layers, or glaze thin colour to adjust values without losing the texture underneath.
How do I know if my portrait's values are wrong?
Squint at the painting and the reference side by side. If the shadow shapes look the same lightness as the lit areas, your values are too close together.
Do I need expensive paints to improve my portraits?
No. A small set of good-quality primary colours plus white is enough to mix clean skin tones and practise these fixes.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
