Whether you are painting your first face or refining your existing skills, these practical tips from the Yarnell School of Fine Art can help you approach figure and portrait painting with greater confidence. Here’s a lesson series found in our A La Carte videos from Jerry Yarnell named “Kim” which can get you started on figure and portrait painting.
Understanding basic facial proportions gives you a reliable foundation for drawing and painting portraits. Although every face is different, a few general guidelines can help you position the features more accurately.
The eyes are usually located about halfway between the top of the head and the chin. A face is approximately five eye-widths across, with about one eye-width of space between the eyes. The bottom of the nose generally falls halfway between the eye line and the chin. The mouth is often positioned roughly one-third of the distance between the nose and chin.
The ears typically begin near the brow or eye line and end around the bottom of the nose. These measurements are guidelines rather than strict rules, but they provide a helpful starting point.
As you become more comfortable with facial anatomy, begin looking for the individual differences that make your subject unique. The distance between the eyes, angle of the jaw, shape of the nose, and placement of the mouth may vary considerably from standard proportions.
For an additional resource, The Drawing Source offers a free facial-proportions infographic that you can print and keep nearby while practicing.
Capturing likeness begins with careful observation. Instead of thinking only in terms of separate eyes, noses, and mouths, look at how the features relate to one another.
Ask yourself:
One of the most useful portrait techniques is to begin with a simple sketch. Establish the overall shape of the head, the centerline of the face, and the basic placement of the features before adding details. Quick sketches from several angles can also help you understand the subject’s underlying structure.
During the painting process, regularly step back and view the portrait from a distance. This makes it easier to notice proportion problems and evaluate the overall likeness. You can also compare negative spaces, such as the area between the nose and cheek or the shape surrounding the head.
Do not worry if your first attempt is not an exact likeness. Portrait painting develops through observation, adjustment, and consistent practice.
A basic understanding of facial anatomy helps you create a face that feels three-dimensional. You do not need to memorize every muscle and bone, but you should understand the major structures beneath the skin.
The brow ridge, cheekbones, jaw, forehead, nose, and eye sockets influence how light and shadow move across the face. When these forms are understood, it becomes easier to paint natural transitions and avoid making the features look flat or disconnected.
Try thinking of the head as a collection of simple three-dimensional forms. The forehead can be treated like a broad plane, the nose like a wedge, and the eyes like spheres resting inside the eye sockets. This approach helps you paint the structure of the face instead of merely outlining individual features.
The eyes are often the focal point of a portrait, but they should not be painted as flat symbols. Pay attention to the shape of the eye socket, eyelids, iris, pupil, and surrounding shadows.
The white of the eye is rarely pure white. It often contains subtle grays, blues, pinks, or warm reflected colors. The upper eyelid typically casts a shadow across the eye, while carefully placed highlights can create a sense of moisture and life.
Avoid making both eyes identical. Changes in perspective, head position, and expression will affect their visible shapes. Continually compare the eyes to each other and to the rest of the face.
Begin by studying the overall shape of the mouth and the way it sits within the facial structure. Instead of outlining the lips with a hard edge, look for places where the edges are soft, sharp, light, or lost in shadow.
Build the lips with subtle layers of color. Skin tones, reds, pinks, violets, and warm browns may all appear in and around the mouth. The upper lip is often darker because it turns away from the light, while the lower lip may catch more light.
The corners of the mouth and the shadow beneath the lower lip are especially important for showing form and expressing emotion.
Realistic skin is created through shifts in value, temperature, and color—not by using a single “skin-tone” mixture.
Look for warm areas around the cheeks, nose, ears, and mouth. Cooler colors may appear around the jaw, temples, eyes, and areas in shadow. Depending on the subject and lighting, you may notice variations of red, yellow, blue, violet, green, and orange.
Use gradual transitions to describe rounded forms, but avoid overblending. If every edge is equally soft, the portrait can lose structure. A combination of hard, soft, and disappearing edges will produce a more natural result.
It is often helpful to establish the major light and shadow patterns before painting small details. If the larger values are correct, the facial features will feel more believable.
Expressing emotion requires more than changing the shape of the mouth. Emotion affects the entire face, including the eyebrows, eyelids, cheeks, forehead, and jaw.
For example, a genuine smile may lift the cheeks and create subtle changes around the eyes. Concern can raise or draw together the eyebrows, while tension may appear in the lips or jaw. Even a neutral expression can communicate personality through posture, gaze, and lighting.
When painting, study the relationship between all these elements. Avoid exaggerating one feature unless that choice supports the style or purpose of the portrait. Subtle changes often communicate emotion more effectively than an overly dramatic expression.
Color, brushwork, composition, and background can also reinforce the mood. Warm colors and loose strokes may create energy, while cooler colors and softer transitions can suggest calmness or reflection.
Clear, directional lighting makes it easier to understand the structure of the face. Natural light from a north-facing window is a popular choice because it is generally soft and consistent.
In a studio, try using one primary light source positioned above and slightly to one side of the subject. This creates recognizable light and shadow patterns that help define the forehead, nose, cheekbones, and jaw.
Avoid combining several competing light sources when you are learning. Complex lighting can make values and colors more difficult to interpret. Once you are comfortable with basic portrait lighting, experiment with different angles and intensities to create a particular mood.
Thoughtful reference photo handling can make the painting process more accurate and enjoyable. Start with a clear, high-resolution image that shows the subject’s features, lighting, and expression.
When photographing your own subject:
A portrait-style focal length, often around 85mm on a full-frame camera, can produce a more natural facial perspective than a wide-angle lens used at close range. However, the exact result also depends on the photographer’s distance from the subject.
Photos taken too close to the subject can exaggerate the nose and make the ears or sides of the face appear smaller. If a reference looks distorted, compare it with additional photographs whenever possible.
A grid can help you transfer the image and check the placement of important features. You can also measure relative distances, angles, and shapes directly from the photograph. Compare the width of the nose with the distance between the eyes, or check the mouth’s position in relation to the pupils and chin.
Remember that a reference photo is a tool, not a set of unbreakable instructions. Adjust distorted features, simplify distracting details, or change the background when those choices create a stronger painting.
If you did not take the photograph yourself, make sure you have permission to use it—especially if you plan to sell, publish, or publicly display the finished artwork.
Learning to capture likeness and expression is a gradual process. Begin with accurate proportions, study the underlying facial anatomy, and work from the largest shapes toward the smallest details. Use careful reference photo handling to support your observations without allowing the photograph to control every artistic decision.
Most importantly, remember that a portrait should communicate something about the person—not simply reproduce their features. Through thoughtful color, lighting, edges, and brushwork, you can move beyond accuracy and begin expressing emotion in a way that connects with the viewer.
At the Yarnell School of Fine Art, we believe artistic growth comes through patient instruction, exploration, and regular practice. Choose a reference photo, study the shapes and relationships carefully, and enjoy the process of bringing your subject to life.
