Before I undertake the challenge of painting a portrait, whether working from life or from a reference image, I always approach it in the same way. Before I even pick up a paintbrush, I ask myself what are the tonal values?
The key to creating a portrait (or any painting for that matter) that has depth, shape and a strong pictorial design is to think of it in terms of value; the lightness and darkness of colours. Paintings that demonstrate a full tonal range (comprising highlights, mid-tones and shadows) will feel three-dimensional, strong and ‘complete’ to the viewer.
When it comes to arranging the features of any painting (be it facial features or the main ‘areas’ in a painting), it’s good to remember that simple shapes carry. And big shapes carry best of all. Our goal as painters is to create paintings with impact that look just as good from far away as they do close up. For this reason, it’s a good idea to organise and approach your subject in terms of clearly stated shapes.
When you take away the colour of a painting,
