I Can't Paint Shadows on Portraits

Painting shadows on a face is different from suggesting shadows on buildings or a landscape. The beginner may treat both subject matter the same, expressing facial shadows as definite grey or black shapes on top of the skin colour, resulting in dark pools or dirty smudges. How can the hopeful portraitist paint shadows that suggest contours on a portrait?

Why Portraits are Difficult to Paint

Shading Techniques for Portraiture

Portrait painting is often perceived to be a difficult subject matter to tackle. Little wonder when the face forms an important part of what we see. Our brains are highly sensitive to interpreting facial expressions or judging the character of someone by their features. The smallest deviation regarding an outline or a shadow will affect the overall appearance. In the case of painting, the portrait may no longer resemble the person portrayed. Our brains will not forgive these crucial deviances, and when it comes to shadows and contours, getting it right is ever more crucial.

Portrait Painting Tips in Oils

The beginner may experience difficulty in suggesting subtle contours on a face; a harsh dark shadow inhabiting the edge of the nose looks like a blotch; cheekbones appear as dark hollows making the person appear gaunt. The portrait may otherwise appear flat, with wishy‑washy shadows that fail to inform on the facial contours. How can the portraitist paint convincing shadows on faces in oils? Firstly, the problem needs to be identified. This means stepping back and evaluating the method used in portraiture.

View my shading technique when painting this angel from Da Vinci's The Virgin on the Rocks.

View how the first glaze of this oil painting was completed.

Or watch my video on shading techniques for portraiture

How Not to Paint Shadows on a Portrait

The following art practices in painting facial shadows are likely to result in an unsatisfactory portrait painting:

• Applying ‘skin tone’ or ‘flesh tint’ over the prevailing areas of the portrait and then overlaying a dark colour on top, creating the illusion of dark pools over the face.
• Introducing black to a flesh colour and using the resultant murky colour to express darker areas.
• Perceiving shadows as having definite edges, making the portrait appear unnaturally harsh.
• Failing to observe how the edges of shadows blend into darkness, creating an unwanted patchy appearance.
• Forgetting to check the portrait against the photographic resource, resulting in idealised notions of how shadows behave.
• Treating shadows as simply dark without looking for hues or reflected light within.
• Not standing back from the painting periodically during the process.

Tips on Shadow Techniques on Faces

The following tips might help the artist improve shading techniques on portrait painting:

• Take an overall view of the face and see how the shadows fit into the mid‑tones and highlights like a jigsaw.
• Notice the nature of shadow edges — some abrupt (bridge of the nose), others gradual (cheekbones, brow).
• Look for colours and reflected light within the shadows.
• Introduce the dark colour into the white when colour mixing rather than the other way round.
• Shadows can be suggested by cooling the colour rather than darkening it.
• Use a high‑resolution resource that informs visually.
• A shadow problem may be caused by an incorrectly illustrated highlight or mid‑tone.

Basic Shading Techniques for Shadows on Portraits

A basic method of darkening skin tone is by introducing a conflicting colour into a given colour (cool into warm). For instance, burnt sienna mixed with white is great for warm highlights. Adding a cool colour will tone it down or make it appear darker. A little burnt umber, pthalo blue or ultramarine can be added to this cream colour to create subtle shadows, preferable to adding black or grey. Additional burnt sienna or a little alizarin crimson will enrich this highlight colour for a deeper hue.

Glazing Effects for Shadow

Applying two or more glazes over an oil painting is great for deepening tones, softening blends and perfecting detail. Soft shadows can be suggested by applying a translucent mix of oil paint onto the shadow areas with soft sables. Blending out into the prevailing colour is achievable by making the mix more translucent. Linseed oil will flatten brush marks and extend drying time, making the paint workable for longer.

Advanced Shading Techniques for Faces

Deep shadows on a face can be suggested by chiaroscuro effects as seen in the old masters. Caravaggio and Dürer were early exponents of this technique, which describes dynamic shadows juxtaposed against dramatic highlights.

Chiaroscuro Effects (after Caravaggio)

If the face possesses high contrasts in light and shadow against a dark background, apply a dark colour over the background to form part of the under‑glaze first. Once dry, apply a more translucent wash of the same colour over the under‑drawing of the face. Applying under‑glazes in this fashion makes it easier for the artist to key in the tonal shapes of the face. The true tonal value of a colour is more obvious against a toned ground than a white art surface.

Shadow Effects in Portraits in Oils

Another technique is sfumato as seen in Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Sfumato is soft, smoke‑like shading with no lines. It can be achieved by dry‑brushing a small amount of paint over selected areas of the portrait. This technique is great for refining shadow effects in the closing stages of the portrait.

Secrets to Shadow Effects on Portraiture

Painting Children's Shadows (Rachel Shirley)

None of these techniques would be of any value if the truth about the shadows is not expressed. Retain a candid view of what the facial shadows look like:

• What shape are they — angular, rounded, or resembling an object?
• What is their colour temperature — warm, cool, or neutral?
• How do their outlines behave — gradual, abrupt, or mixed?
• How does one shadow compare to another — deeper, cooler, bluer?
• Children’s shadows often appear fuller and more gradual than adults’.

Ideal Art Pigments for Shadow Colours

I have found the following colour mixes useful when mixing shadow colours on portraits. Always relate the shadow mix to the surrounding flesh colours.

• Soft neutral shadows: equal portions of burnt sienna and ultramarine with white.
• Cool soft shadows: less burnt sienna than ultramarine and white.
• Alternatives: pthalo blue instead of ultramarine; add a little burnt umber for depth.
• Warm soft shadows: permanent rose, ultramarine and white.
• Deep shadows: burnt umber and pthalo blue (white may be needed).
• Or burnt umber, pthalo blue and permanent rose (white may be needed).

Experiment with staple pigments to see how they behave. I use ultramarine, pthalo blue, cadmium red, permanent rose, burnt umber and burnt sienna. Other colours worth experimenting with include cadmium yellow, alizarin crimson, carmine, viridian and cerulean.

Links to Other Articles on Mixing Skin Colours in Art

Colour mixing tips for flesh colours
Why do my oil paintings look dull?