Classical portrait painting has always dazzled viewers with its subtle realism, lifelike transitions, and luminous skin. Much of this magic comes from traditional oil techniques—especially the careful development of drawing, underpainting, and glazing. The video tutorial by Yupari Artist outlines a practical, strategic approach, blending historical methods with modern materials for those eager to master classical portraiture.
Let’s explore these techniques, tools, and tips, with links to the best resources for your next masterpiece.
Composition and Drawing: The Foundation of a Classical Portrait
Every successful portrait starts with careful planning and accurate drawing. In this approach, the artist draws directly onto a linen canvas using a soft graphite pencil (B lead), laying out basic placement and overall structure.
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Comparative measurement: Check the angles and spacing of features relative to each other for proportion and composition.
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While tracing or transfer techniques offer speed, true skill and flexibility come from practicing freehand sketching.
For those who wish to level up their drawing and proportion skills, the Will Kemp Art School’s guide to portrait glazing and drawing is an excellent resource, offering foundational exercises to refine your hand and eye.
Underpainting: Building Volumes and Values for Realism
Once the drawing is in place, the next stage is an underpainting—here, using titanium white and burnt umber with Venetian medium.
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Begin with the darkest shadows and progress outward, shaping the form with subtle layers.
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Keep the underpainting lighter than you want your final painting; it’s easier to darken with subsequent glazes than lighten an area that’s too dark.
For practical step-by-step breakdowns, explore Anna Bregman’s oil painting techniques, which covers laying in values, choosing a palette, and layering for skin tones.
Fat Over Lean: The Secret to Successful Layered Painting
A core rule in oil painting, fat over lean involves adding more oil (medium) to each successive layer. This ensures faster drying for lower layers and elasticity for upper layers, avoiding cracks or delamination as your painting ages.
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Drying between layers is key: allow a couple of days after each stage.
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Use fast-drying earth pigments (like burnt umber) for your underpainting and slower-drying, more oily mixes for later layers.
For an authoritative technical overview, visit Virtual Art Academy's guide on glazing in oil painting.
Applying Local Color & Building the Portrait
With the drawing and underpainting set, move on to applying local color:
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Expand your palette, introducing colors like yellow ochre, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, and sap green for nuanced flesh and hair tones.
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Begin modelling forms from the darkest darks to the lightest lights—paying particular attention to warmth and coolness within each “plane” of the face.
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Don’t chase photo-realistic perfection—the goal is lively likeness and naturalistic form.
Refer to examples of local color and glazing at work in Damian Osborne’s glazing skin tones tutorial for visualizations of underpainting, color layering, and final glazes.
Glazing for Luminous Depth
Glazing is the hallmark of classical oil portraiture.
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Mix transparent pigments with a glazing medium (like Venetian Medium or Liquin) and turpentine for thin, luminous films of color.
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Apply glazes judiciously to enrich the skin, deepen shadows, and unify tones.
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You don’t need to cover the whole painting with glaze—target specific areas where increased depth or warmth is needed.
As emphasized in the tutorial, multiple sessions and layers may be necessary. Working slowly and intentionally allows for fine-tuned color shifts and ultra-smooth transitions—true “optical mixing” that distinguishes the old master aesthetic.
For comprehensive explanations and more demo videos, see Painting Tube’s glazing in portrait painting guide and Rembrandt glazing demonstrations.
Finishing Touches: Edges, Details, and Realistic Flesh Tones
Edge management is essential—use softer cross-hatching for subtle transitions and sharper demarcations as needed for clarity.
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For naturalistic flesh, alternate between warm (cadmium red, alizarin) and cool (ivory black, sap green) mixtures.
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Remember, patience is critical: allow full drying time before reworking or varnishing.
Keep refining over multiple sittings, always reassessing structure, values, and color harmony.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: What is the primary benefit of glazing in classical portrait painting?
Glazing provides luminous depth and nuanced color, allowing realistic flesh tones unattainable with direct painting.
Q2: Can these classical techniques work for beginners?
Absolutely! Start with well-organized drawing and value exercises, then slowly build up complexity with color and glazes.
Q3: How long does it take to complete a classical oil portrait?
Traditional methods may take several weeks, factoring in drying times between layers and careful development of each stage.
Q4: What are the best mediums for glazing?
Venetian Medium, Neo-Megilp, or Liquin are all reliable. Always use a small amount for optimal transparency.
Q5: Where can I find structured tutorials and more video demonstrations?
Explore the Virtual Art Academy’s oil glazing techniques, or join the Facebook photo reference group for community guidance.
Q6: Do I need to paint from life for best results?
Working from life is ideal but not required; high-quality photo references and careful observation can yield beautiful results.
Classical portrait painting is both an art and a science—requiring patience, thoughtful observation, and layer-by-layer discipline. By mastering accurate drawing, patient underpainting, and the luminous glow of glazing, anyone can achieve results reminiscent of the old masters.