excerpt from Classic Portrait Painting in Oils by Chris Saper

Examples of EyesBlue EyesI’ve painted iris #1 with UltramarineBlue instead of Indigo. The saturationof the Ultramarine Blue makes the irislook unconvincing, and it almost seemsto float in front of the picture plane. Iris#2 was painted with Ivory Black + FlakeWhite. Because the Ivory Black has a bluecast to it, the iris still reads as blue, butis more realistic. The Ivory Black + FlakeWhite mixture is a suitable alternative tousing Indigo.1 2Asian EyesMy Japanese model in this life studywas lit by warm light, positioned justslightly off center. Characteristic of Asiansubjects, the bridge of her nose is flatterthan typical Caucasian subjects, so a rakinglight source helps define the shapes.Prominent epicanthal folds on the lidscreate deep-set eyes whose roundedforms show beneath the upper lid. Herbrows sit rather flat on her forehead, dueto a slightly high brow ridge.Brown, Shallow-Set EyesMost of the young children I’ve paintedhave deep-set eyes, but this little guy hasbig, brown, shallow-set eyes that showa lot of lid. With a lighting source fromabove, the lids above the upper lasheswill always be a bit lighter in value thanthe parts of the lids just below the eyebrows.Look for the structure and amountof depth you’ll need to properly renderthe structure of the lower lid, betweenwhere it touches the sclera and sproutsthe lower eyelashes. In the eye on ourright, that little ledge holding the lashesis lighter in value than the sclera as itmoves away and out of sight. To make aniris luminous, light it opposite the highlightwith a touch of Cadmium Red Lightadded to its basic dark brown. Here, thehighlights come from both directions, butI’ve emphasized the light from our left,consistent with the highlight on the nose.One light source needs to be dominantin your painting, even if it’s ambiguous inthe reference photo.52 Watch a free video lesson by Chris Saper at artistsnetwork.com/portrait-painting48-57_Y1754.indd 5210/12/11 11:49:57 AM