Creating a Portrait Model: Part Two

Today we will discuss different painting methods with guest commentary by Kristian Beverly of Five Paws Studio. The only thing I really use airbrushing for is base coating so I asked her to do the airbrushing section. If you have any further questions let me know in the comment section. Lets begin!

Oils
Pros:

• longer blending and drying time
• If I walk away for a couple hours and then come back I can fix anything I don't like
• gives the horse a glow
• can create a variety of colors

Cons:

• long drying time (some colors can take more than 5 days to dry)
• only cleans up with turpentine/linseed oil
• both can be harmful if not used in a well ventilated area 

*There are water mixable oils, which I have just started using (they are awesome!). They allow you the same benefits with the use of water. Oils are quickly becoming my favorite medium. You can find them at your local art supply store or online at DickBlick

Airbrush

I first off have to say that I love airbrushing. I’ve done pastels, acrylic paint, and etching. Each medium has pros and cons, but I think airbrushing has become my favorite. I don’t exclusively use my airbrush. I do use pastels, acrylic paint and etching for detailing.

This is my airbrush-it’s a Badger Patriot 105. It’s a gravity feed instead of siphon feed. My first couple of airbrushes were siphon feed. I had issues with my siphon feeds, but none with the gravity feed since I’ve had it.

These are the paints I use. I buy them at my local Michaels and AcMoore. Both stores have recently expanded their airbrush section. They also have numerous types, that range from very cheap (2$) to upper level paints that cost more. (Madison here - You can thin down acrylics but it clogs your airbrush very easily. To thin you can use Liquitex airbrush medium or water)

This is the compressor I have. I bought it at Michaels when it was on clearance and it’s been my painting partner since! 

 

I’m far from claiming to be a professional, but here are the pros and cons I’ve come up with that relate to airbrushing.

Pros:

• They dry fast. If you’re as impatient as me, this is a great thing.
• You get a smooth finish. Since you aren’t using a paint brush, there aren’t any brush strokes.
• There are multiple levels of airbrushes so you can get beginner level airbrushes and paint

Cons: 

As with any new  skill, there is a learning curve.

• But with airbrushing, if you don’t like it there’s a good bit of equipment that you invested in. So start cheap to make sure you like it. Or better yet, find a friend who can show you. When trying out pastels, you can buy chalk pastels and a can of matte spray for cheap. With paints, you can buy a couple of tubes. With airbrushing you need the airbrush, paints, and can of air (if yours doesn’t come with it).
• Upstart costs are expensive as you move up (compressor, paints airbrushes ,etc)
• Some airbrushes come with a can of air—but you’ll quickly run out of them. There’s nothing worse than painting and your airbrush quits because your can is empty. If airbrushing for long periods of time, a compressor works.

Pastels/Earth Pigments
Pros:

• mimics, in my opinion, the glowy effect of oils
• easy to find
• pastels can be found in any art store or online at DickBlick
• Earth Pigments can be found online
• easy to blend
• can be combined with other methods to create unique colors

Cons:

• takes a lot of patience
• needs to be sealed in between layers
• requires a well ventilated space
• Destroys your brushes after a while
• If your surface is not completely free of flaws you will get grain
• you can work through this, however it does take a lot of patience 

*Pastels can be ground up and used to stain the horse. Earth Pigments are already a powder and give a stronger stain due to the lack of a binder.

What you'll need for this part:

• the supplies for your chosen painting method
• a fully prepped horse

Now on to how I started with Soul Surfer. I was originally going to airbrush this guy with a burnt sienna craft paint, but my airbrush kept clogging. So instead I hand painted it. I started out with the paint that was thinned with airbrush medium and slowly worked my way up to straight paint.

Next, to add the slight golden tone that his hair has, I brushed the entire horse with a coat of natural sienna Earth Pigment.

I sealed it and repeated the process. This lent a very subtle gold tone to the model and toned down the red a bit.

Next, I used the wet pigment technique on the belly and the rump to help create a stronger yellow tone. To counteract the harsh lines that this technique creates, I blended the natural sienna dry pigment back over.

I may at some point do a more in-depth post about each medium. Look out for the final post on white markings and detailing your portrait models!