TECHNIQUE: Impressionistic Painting Completed with Direct Alla-Prima Painting Method

Learn fine art techniques including the direct alla-prima painting method to produce a work of art in a loose, impressionistic style. Project materials include computer-prepared guides and maps that will make it easy to see the shape, planes and values on the human head.

This program is designed for beginning portrait painters, and is useful in understanding basic portrait painting concepts, whether the painter uses photographic references or works from the live model, as both scenarios are compared and contrasted.

"Victoria" is painted with a limited palette of colors and shows how you can create realistic fleshtones from just a few basic colors. Recipes for generic flesh colors and values are given, which can be adjusted subtly to match the flesh color of your model, whether it is painted from life or from photographs.

The simplicity of this head and the composition make it the ideal program for a first attempt at portrait painting, as all the photographic references used in the program are included in the printed materials that accompany the video.