We can then refine the highlights on the pupil by adding a bit of our mixture of Burnt Umber and Prussian Blue. The brushstrokes applied with this mixture reflect the shadows produced by the eyelashes. We can also add a slight highlight to the left side of the pupil. This highlight should be very subtle and blended in with the darker tones of the pupil.
How to Paint a Realistic Eye – Water Mixable Oils
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Taking Advantage of Oils
In this lesson, we’ll take a look at how to paint a realistic eye using water mixable oil paints. Although we are using water mixable oil paints in this demonstration, the techniques applied here can be used with any opaque painting media.
We will take full advantage of the characteristics of oils, which dry dramatically slower than water-based media such as acrylics. This allows us to work the paint applications, adjusting the values and colors while the paint remains wet on the surface. This gives us full control over the details that we develop and the relationships of the colors and values.
The Benefits of Water Mixable Oil Paints
Water mixable oil paints are real oils. But unlike traditional oil paints, water mixable oil paints can be thinned with water instead of traditional paint thinners that produce fumes. Water mixable oil paints can be used in combination with traditional oils and mediums. They are an excellent choice for those wanting to take advantage of the benefits of traditional oils but may be turned off by the fumes produced by paint thinners.
In this lesson, most of the colors used are Artisan paints by Winsor and Newton. The only exception is the flesh tone which is made by Reeves. Here’s a list of the colors that are used in this demonstration:
- Prussian Blue
- Alizarin Crimson
- Burnt Umber
- Cadmium Yellow
- Olive Green
- Cadmium Red
- Titanium White
- Burnt Sienna
- Flesh (Reeves)
A variety of brushes are used in this lesson. For larger areas, a hog bristle brush is used. For smaller detailed areas, a synthetic sable brush is used. For blending, it’s a clean dry sable brush and for the eyelashes – a nylon rigger brush.
Water mixable oil paints can be used on any surface that accepts paint applications. For this lesson, a small stretched canvas is used but other acceptable surfaces include paper, wood (masonite), linen, or burlap.
Initial applications are made by thinning the paint with water. But as we begin to refine the details, we’ll switch over to using medium with the paint. The medium used in this demonstration is 50% linseed oil and 50% paint thinner.
Medium allows us to adjust the viscosity of the paint, making it easy to spread over the surface. This gives us more control over our brushstrokes and the option to use translucent glazes, if desired.
REALISM UP CLOSE: How to Paint an Eye is a SELF-PACED 100 % online program designed to take you from the first brushstrokes to a complete realistic painting of an eye.
Taking you from
lost when a painting is not going where you thought it would
to having a framework and an understanding of a forgiving painting style
that can give you great professional results if you invest in the time and work.
By the end of the course you will understand how to make your art to appear life-like and and how to create vibrant realism.
You will know what to look for and what to always paint in when you’re painting any human eye within a portrait ( or on it’s own) so that your artwork looks professional.
You will know how to tackle skin tones and how to repair them when your painting is not heading the way you want it to.
You will have an understanding on what impacts the tints within the eye area and how to translate these into colours.
Summed up, by the end of the course you would gain a framework that will stop you from feeling lost and overwhelmed with your art. There will be less frustration, and more enjoyment from the painting process, because you will be in possession of a roadmap to a realistic eye painting.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends. It is a completely self-paced online course. You decide when you start and when you finish. All the lessons are prerecorded and available to you whenever you need them.
I’m new to oil painting, is this course for me?
Yes. This course shows the whole painting process including what surface to paint on, which brushes I recommend using and what colours I have on my palette. If you are serious about your ambition, then this course is for you.
I bought the course, but didn’t receive my login details.
Please check your spam folder. The process is now fully automatic, so once you buy the course, you should be sent a file with your login details to download right away and login any time you’d like. If you haven’t received them, please do check whether they haven’t accidentally ended up in your spam folder.
Will I learn something if I work in acrylics and not oils?
I believe you will. The anatomy from an artist’s perspective lesson is applicable to any media and will reframe how you tackle painting an eye regardless of what you paint it with. Some things will be different, such as worrying about drying times and that kind of stuff, but I believe it will still be beneficial, because building texture to create a three-dimensional realism is applicable to a variety of media.
Is this really right for me?
Not sure if this course is right for you? Send us a question at [email protected]
REFUND POLICY
Sorry, due to the nature of the product no refunds are given, so make sure this course is what you really want before you hit the purchase button.
This multiple lesson online course offers students a close look at the process of realistically painting a human eye using oils paints. The pre-recorded lessons cover the whole painting process, starting from surface preparation. Students learn about the structure of the eye from an artist’s perspective in a fun tutorial. The course covers the whole process of a indirect painting method, from brush strokes of the first layer to a final realistic painting of a human eye. You will be provided a photo reference and in-depth instructions on how to paint way beyond the photo and create a vibrant painting of an eye that looks absolutely realistic.
Course Specifics
Enrolling in Realism Up Close: Painting the Human Eye will reframe how you tackle painting an eye by giving you the tools you need to take your painting to the next level. In a series of pre-recorded online sessions, we’ll cover a number of key elements including:
- The Structure of the human eye from an artist’s perspective
- How the directions of your brushstrokes impact the realism you achieve within your painting
- How to use texture to move beyond the flatness of painting from a photo reference.
- Knowledge of common pitfalls and what to be careful about whether painting from a photo reference or from life.
