Paint portraits with palette knives

I work on canvas or linen, either stretched or mounted on board, and gesso-primed board. I usually have plenty of canvas and stretcher bars at the ready so that I can make up canvases to any size I want.

Firstly the canvas is given a warm mid-tone acrylic ground using a thin wash of burnt sienna lightened with a touch of white – this makes it easier for me to make judgements on dark and light tones against the mid-tone ground. Next I start to sketch out the portrait in oils, using burnt sienna and a touch of ivory black instead of burnt umber as it dries too quickly and becomes unworkable when working wet-on-wet over a few days with palette knives. Generally I avoid gridding up the canvas for a head and shoulders portrait

– I prefer to keep things loose using the measurement comparison method, as I would working from life. I stand to paint and squint