Paint a Lifelike Portrait in Acrylic You Can Be Proud Of.
Hi, I’m Matt Philleo. I’m a professional portrait artist and instructor.
I help artists, who want to paint people realistically, learn how to use traditional acrylic painting techniques to create a beautiful portrait they can be proud to show others.
Get started today. Sign up to learn how to paint better portraits today with my free tips and art lessons.
Upcoming In-Person Workshops:
Acrylic Portrait Painting at the Chippewa Valley Cultural Center: July 24-25, 2023 (Get info/register)
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About the Artist and Instructor
Since 1991, Matt Philleo has been painting portraits on commission, starting with a drawing at age 14. Matt learned the glazing technique adapted for acrylics from a university instructor during a high school summer art camp. That traditional Old Master’s method of painting has been the cornerstone of his style, and for the last few years he has been painting and teaching portrait painting courses online and in his studio in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where he lives with his wife and three children.
ACRYLIC PORTRAITS
Join Kara Bullock in ACRYLIC PORTRAITS – IT’S JUST PAINT where you will dive into the world of painting portraits, while gaining a clear understanding of composition, value, and color. Learn to choose photos that will exude emotion through your design and stroke work. Apply your understanding of value and color to create depth and interest in your portraits. Become a master at color and gain faith in your skills and trust that you can get whatever color you need, from a limited primary palette, over and over again. You will leave this course with a new found confidence, trusting in your skills, and knowing that you can paint a successful portrait from beginning to end. I can’t wait to share this course with you! I hope to see you in class!
COURSE OBJECTIVES
By the end of this course students will have an understanding of the following concepts:
- Find inspiration in the world around you
- Manipulate photos to create more interest
- Demonstrate an understanding of value
- Explore the color wheel – understand color theory
- Paint a portrait from your own photo reference
- Create interest and depth in your artwork
- Experiment with a primary palette
- Become a master at mixing paint to create the color you need
COURSE IS OPEN!
First of all, I want you to know that this course is not about drawing the portrait, it is ALL about PAINTING THE PORTRAIT. So, you will want to have a good understanding of drawing the portrait prior to taking this course. You are also welcome to use a projector, or grid out your portrait, so that you can get through the drawing part quickly.
This course will begin by discussing composition. Our first lesson will explore choosing a good reference photo to work from. Not all references are good options for paintings. We will also explore how to create an interesting design/composition from a good reference. Next, we will delve into value. You will learn what value is, and why it is so important to understand value when creating representational art. After that, we will paint a black and white portrait that focuses solely on value. You will become an expert on value so that we can move into color with ease.
Once we are comfortable with value, and creating a black and white portrait, it will be time to explore color! We will begin with some color theory, and then move into mixing paint to match our colors. Various reference photos will be accessible for you to practice along. Watch as I demonstrate my process of finding the perfect match using a primary palette! I walk through this process with several photo references using a diverse group of individuals. This will help you to become a master mixer! You can also use these lessons to create a beautiful inspiration board to collect for and inspire future projects!
Once you build up some confidence in your color mixing skills, we will explore brushes, and loading your brush with paint. Finally, it will be time to paint a portrait in color. Follow along as I share all of my thoughts and process as I paint a color portrait from start to finish. I have a lot of doubts in the beginning, but I push through, and feel good about the outcome. I am excited to share this experience with you, and think you will feel as if you are right in the studio with me!
