I’m getting ready to teach a portrait painting workshop at the New York Academy of Art this weekend and I thought I prep my canvas with a sky-toned ground so that the portrait I paint looks like they’re in from of the sky.

Materials:

Ampersand Gessobord (12”x16”)
2” synthetic brush
Cerulean blue acrylic paint
Lemon yellow acrylic paint
White acrylic paint (or white acrylic gesso)

For this ground I”m using acrylic paints to tone the panel.  It’s archival t use acrylics under oils, and this way it will dry quickly! Also I’m painting on an Ampersamd Gessobord today which has a wonderful smooth surface that also has a bit of tooth. It’s one of my favorite surfaces to work on!

The color of the sky gradates from a deeper color at the top, to a lighter, slightly more blue/green color as it moves towards the horizon line.  So I’m using Cerulean Blue and Titanium White at the top, and as I move down towards the horizon line I gradually mix more white in and also a tiny bit of Lemon Yellow.

The key is to work quickly since the acrylics dry so fast.  Initially I’m using horizontal strokes to establish I nice smooth gradation, but the secret is that at the end I lightly brush over the surface with “feathery” strokes that are short and go in various directions, to make sure that I won’t have any long continuous ridges from brushstrokes that might cut through the entire face and get in the way as I paint the portrait! This is really the most important step no matter what color ground you’re working on, so be sure to watch the video until the end to see how I do this!

Leave a comment about what you think and what your favorite color of ground to work on is!

Ps: There was some confusion about the deadline to enroll in the Visionary Artist Master Program, so I’ve extended the deadline until Feb 14 to give you time to enroll!

My VISIONARY ARTIST MASTER PROGRAM (VAMP) is for beginning and advanced artists. Find your authentic artistic voice through assignments, weekly lessons, critiques and zoom calls! Then participate in an exhibition in New York City at the end of the Program!  LEARN MORE HERE

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