Go Ahead and Paint My Portrait

(Click on any image for a larger view)
Reprinted with permission from Airbrush Action (August 2000)

Reflecting on his perpetual pursuit of the perfect portrait, Steve Driscoll demonstrates a few of the finer points he's picked up along the way.

Having spent most of my artistic career chasing the "perfect portrait" (I'm still chasing, by the way), l find that the biggest stumbling block is finding a way to blend the darkest areas into the lightest areas without getting any dull, muddy spots in the transition. The most important thing to remember is that skin is translucent, and there a number of colors showing through at all times–even in very dark to almost-black areas. The fade from dark to light must be smooth and fluid. This step-by-step lesson will guide you through the steps I use to create a vibrant, living portrait.

This first–and most important–step is a process that will give the face its texture and dimension. What you do here will serve as the under painting for all of the subtle changes that occur in the warm areas such as the lips, cheeks, and eyes and in the cooler, shaded areas.

Use this first color (1/3 oz. ochre, 25 drops red oxide, 5 drops aqua, and 1/3 oz. clear base extender) as though it were the only color you have. Include all of the texture, detail, and shading that your reference photo has to offer.

Above: Using only the first color, these three images demonstrate the progression of detail that results in a monochromatic, virtually stand-alone portrait.

The clear base extender really earns its keep in this next step. When we spray the next two colors, the goal is not to cover the great work we already did, but instead to tint it with a wash. (An opaque paint would cover all that painstaking detail we just slaved over).

Start with a yellow wash (1/3 oz. clear base extender, 10 drops golden yellow) and remember to use restraint so the face doesn't get too yellow. Mist very lightly over the entire face, but not too much--you can always add more later.

Next, use a pink wash (1/3 oz. clear base extender, 25 drops magenta) in the areas called for by the reference photo. Those areas are usually found in or around the eyes, lips, cheeks, chin, and forehead. I also build up more pigment by spraying in shaded areas, which will help me achieve a very dark coloring in the end. It also helps in softening the transition from dark to light.

Step #3

When adding dark shadows (1/3 oz. dark brown, 1/6 oz. vibrant violet, 10 drops aqua), remember not to overlap into the lightest areas, or those dull muddy areas will rear their ugly heads. Notice there is always some middle tone between the dark and light areas to serve as a buffer and provide a nice transition.

This step uses the color from Step 1, with a few drops of magenta. Helping to tone down the contrast created by the darker color, this new color will give the face a great glow, warmth, and more depth.

After this step, I add the first layer of highlights. This mixture (1/2 oz. transparent white, 3 drops light brown, 3 drops yellow) is translucent, so it covers a little, but won't create that graying effect that most of the factory opaque whites do. There is a slight blue tint to the factory opaque whites. When a blue is combined with a warm color like brown, it winds up being gray. I add the light brown and golden yellow to my white to combat this.

Step #5

Using smoke gray, start to model the eye by spraying the iris and pupil. The top of the eye is usually darker than the bottom because of the shadow cast by the eye lid and brow. l also use the smoke gray on the whites to provide depth and roundness. Note the differences between the right and left eyes in the first of these two photos. The left eye appears to be more round, while the right eye seems flat. In the second photo, both eyes are complete.

Step #6

To give the eyes some color, lightly spray dark brown into the iris. Use black to add the pupil (this is the only place I ever use black). Finally, use opaque white for the very sharpest areas of the face, which include the nose, forehead, eyes, cheeks, chin, and lips.

This leaves only the background, shirt, and hair to be done. Once these are complete, your portrait is finished

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Steve Driscoll began airbrushing professionally in 1991, when he opened a T-shirt shop in Las Vegas. After moving to Chicago in 1993, he gained a reputation for his exceptional portrait work and added canvas to his repertoire. Several times a year, Steve leads the Canvas class at Airbrush Getaways. He has produced instructional videos on airbrushing T-shirts and canvas. He currently lives in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife, Isabel, and two children, and works from his Burnsville studio. Contact Steve by email at driscoll62@aol.com.

TECH FILE

Airbrush: For shirts and larger areas, I use the Iwata Eclipse. For small and very small areas, l use the Iwata HP-C and the HP-SB Custom Micron. They are the best I've used. Paint: For shirts and wall murals, I use Medea Textile Paints. For canvas and illustration board, I use Medea Com-Art. Image transfer: I use the Artograph Super Prism. It has a much larger viewing area and more illumination power, not to mention the optics are great. Air cleaner: Artograph 1520H air filter. Air source: Medea Hammerhead silent compressor. It has two separate air outlets, which allows me to have two guns at different pressures hooked up at the same time. Very handy.