Figure and Portrait Drawing & Painting Lessons

Welcome to the figure and portrait section of CreativeSpotlite.com. Figure and portrait painting and drawing is one of the most difficult things to master. It has been said if you can draw or paint the human body, you can draw or paint anything. We have gathered a nice selection of free lessons on the following pages that you are sure to learn a great deal from. The art instruction on the following pages has been generously donated by professional artists from all over the world. We are most grateful for their generosity and we hope you enjoy!

Free Figure and Portrait Art Demonstrations

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  • Maria - Oil Painting Demonstration

    Simon Mackie

    By Scott Burdick

    Here's my initial drawing of Maria on a stretched, 40" by 30" piece of medium textured Clausens double oil primed linen. Because of the size of the painting and the fact that I wanted it to work out to a specific composition, I used some vine charcoal to carefully sketch this one out. By just taking a quick measurement of the head and figuring out how many units high Maria is from head to seat as well as wide, you can very easily assure yourself that you'll end up with exactly the composition you have in mind.

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  • Waterfall Demo

    Simon Mackie

    By Philip Howe

    To keep the areas wet over the two days it took to paint this image, I worked this painting in sections, doing the figure first. Around the figure I worked just enough paint over the surface to ensure that it would be an easy blend the next day as I worked back into that area...

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  • Oil Painting Demonstration - Wedding Flowers

    Simon Mackie

    By Scott Burdick

    Step by step oil portrait demo.

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  • Pastel Portrait: Step-by-Step

    Simon Mackie

    Sharon Barrett Kennedy

    I usually work from photographs. While it's often helpful to see the subject in person, I don't have time nor a place to arrange sittings. I frequently work very late at night, and since I do artwork in and around everything else in my life, working from a photograph far better fits my schedule!

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  • Figure Drawing LAB

    Simon Mackie

    Wonderful site with in depth demonstrations and tips on drawing the human figure.

    View Figure Drawing Lab

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