Painting Faces with Acrylic and Enamel (Part 2)

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Painting faces in acrylics and enamels

Using a no. 1 brush, apply at least two base coats of Flesh (2 parts Flesh and 1 part water or thinner) evenly, and allow them to dry thoroughly. Try to stroke the brush in one direction only; this will reduce the risk of creating an uneven base coat. Usually, if you're painting in enamels, it s best to acrylic flesh for the base coat, sit this will not rub away with repeated applications at thinned enamels. The oil painting tech¬nique we will describe later also uses acrylics for the base coat for the same reason.

The base coat

Apply a wash of reddish brown (1 part Brown and at least 2 water or thinner) over the entire face and neck area with a no. 1 brush and allow it to dry thoroughly. This will give the face a ruddy complexion, To make the appearance less ruddy, add a touch of Flesh to the wash, but only a touch.

Red-brown wash applied to the entire face

Mix a thinned paint solution of dark brown (1 part Black, 1 part Red, and 2 parts water or thinner) and, with a no. 000 brush, apply it to all concave areas, such as the eye sockets, in and around the ears, around and under the nose and chin. Feather and blend this solu¬tion into the adjacent tones.

Dark Brown shading applied to shadow area and crevices

With a no. 000 brush, outline the upper eyelid, inner ears, nostrils and mouth with a thinned paint solution of a very dark brown (2 parts Black, 1 part Red, and 2 parts water or thinner). When it's dry, soften the raised outline of the eye with a very thin layer of medium-thinned Flesh.

Very dark brown shading applied.

Add highlights to the highest points on the features of the face, such as the tops of wrinkles, eye¬lids, edges of the ears and nostrils, and the tip of the nose and chin to emphasize the contrast between these high points and the crevices. Use a thinned solution of 6 parts Flesh, 1 part Yellow, 1 part Red, and 2 parts water or thinner. Layer and feather this mixture over the cheekbones, the bridge of the nose, the chin and forehead, the jawbone line, and the points of the ears with a no. 000 brush and occasionally a no. 0 brush for larger areas. It is important to leather this mixture and blend it into the adjacent tones, You are looking for a smooth tran¬sition from one tone to another.

Highlights applied to the tops of the folds and wrinkles,
layered and feathered into the shadow areas.

To be continued…

Article & photos from:
Book : How to paint realistic military figures by Lynn Kesser and Don Winar, 2nd Ed

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