Drawing for portraits in oil

ortraits are certainly challenging and are one way of testing your drawing skills, especially when you are painting somebody famous or somebody you know, such as a friend or family member. The obvious overriding issue for drawing and painting a successful portrait is getting the likeness right, but it is not necessarily the application of paint that can scupper a painting, it is more the fear of doing it, which can lead to tight or unconfident work. Tight work often necessitates accuracy and if you paint a photorealistic interpretation of someone, any slight deviation from the truth will stand out as a glaring error. With that in mind, I prefer to paint quite loose and allow brushmarks to form the shapes, leaving room for the