Here are just some ways this video will help you:

• Move from old 2D thinking to new 3D thinking — really cool!
• “Connect and Correct” — the key to poetic flow in your portraits
• Tone your canvas before painting (Gabriela spells out the benefits for you)
• Background or foreground subject, where to start? 
• Why lots of palette colors makes lots of sense!
• Emphasizing and subduing, a real balancing act
• Perseverance rules the day, every day!
• Painting from photos vs. painting from life … which comes first?
• Layering or glazing? What’s the difference?
• Why walking away from your painting will bring you closer to the truth
• Problem-solving for every portrait painter
• Go to battle for your painting … and win!
• “It’s not about the nostril” … find out why
• Relationships, relationships, relationships
• Projecting your feelings in your painting — who could ask for more?
• Use this to draw and change things forever!
• “Scumbling”… what is it, and how do you do it?(Here’s the answer!)
• See volume in a subject and then paint it — just magical!
• And, much, much more

A beautiful smile, a gleam in an eye, an expressive gesture, a swirl of hair, a glowing cheek…

Think of these portrait elements as passages in a poem or notes in a song. Then discover new joy as you compose them and find new opportunities that will thrill your viewers.

Because every portrait comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities, you can benefit from Gabriela Gonzalez Dellosso’s expert instruction techniques. She’ll help you overcome the challenges and embrace the opportunities. Without this level of guidance, your portraits could languish far from the goals you have set for them.

Creating a Narrative Portrait

In this video, you’ll see how using Gabriela’s painting process can develop and tell the story of the subject. Discover, in your own voice, how you can achieve the likeness, mood, and facial character that make your subject, and your paintings, unique. You’ll realize when painting from life, that life is at the core of making a great painting.

Think in 3D on a 2D Surface

Gabriela teaches you how to approach a portrait as a three-dimensional form. The challenge and excitement come when you discover how to create the illusion of three-dimensional volume on a two-dimensional surface. She shows you exactly how to mold and sculpt the human head with all its subtleties. Her instructional approach is straightforward and direct, very easy to follow, and so beneficial, whether you are aspiring or already at a professional level on your artistic journey.

Taking a Fresh Look With a Fresh Eye

In this video, you’ll see Gabriela do something you may never have seen any other artist do. It’s so different, and you’ll want to try it yourself with your next painting. What is this unique method? She comes back to finish a painting about one month after she first created it … surprising, isn’t it?

She explains the importance of looking at your work with a fresh eye. As you are painting, you become attached to the decisions you make. But after a period of time, you can return with new objectivity and immediately see ways to enhance and improve a painting. Watch as Gabriela transforms her demo portrait into a more masterful work as she returns to the easel with clearer thinking. Fully understanding and applying this method alone makes this video a must-have addition to your resource library. 

About Gabriela

Gabriela received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and her work can be found in many notable private and museum collections. Her work has been published in The New York Times, Fine Art Connoisseur, Artnews, and many other publications. Gabriela is represented by the Harmon-Meek Gallery in Naples, Florida, and she teaches painting and drawing at the New York School for the Arts, NYC, and the JCC of Manhattan. 

Chapters

• Painting Demonstration Part 1
• Introduction
• On Seeing: 3D, Overlapping, Andrew Loomis, Angles
• Project Materials & Tools
• Draw the Head in Paint
• Block In Light & Shadow
• Correct & Connect
• Develop Facial Tones & Color
• Develop the Values
• Develop Details
• Painting Demonstration Part 2
• Take a New Direction
• Polishing Phase
• Interview
• Exhibit of Works