Portrait Painting - How to Create Backgrounds

[@coviedogs]

Oh gosh your portraits are gorgeous! Just incredible. This was a fantastic video. Thank you. Your wife is beautiful.

[@AlainPicard]

Thank you so much Coviedogs! Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@lopezelba1]

Found you by exactly that, trying to find a way to improve my backgrounds. I was blow away at how beautiful, bright and stunning your portraits are. They are almost romantic and dreamlike. Just beautiful. New subbie!

[@ryandeslauriers9737]

Anyone I asked about backgrounds could never give me a straight answer, but you did. Thank you so much Alain!

[@AlainPicard]

I'm really glad it has helped. I love backgrounds!

[@okasart]

I couldn’t find any videos specifically on portrait backgrounds and this video helped a ton!! Thanks

[@AlainPicard]

so glad it helped, all my best on your portrait work!

[@donnadold2448]

This is such a helpful video for me and others too I'm sure. Thank you again Alain, your portrait paintings are magical.

[@williamdownton1170]

Merci mon ami. That was the best I have seen on any channel, specifically simple instructions for amateurs and professionals

[@jazzlehazzle]

Came back for a refresher and again am struck by how special these portraits are. Sargent, Rembrandt, Picard. Believe it!

[@AlainPicard]

you are too kind, that means alot! all my best

[@deborahfredette7499]

I'm so excited to find this video. I have a portrait of a dear couple that I've been struggling with the background. I've put in four backgrounds and don't like any of them. I'm going to take your tips to heart and try again. Thank you so much.

[@paulchristiancano2513]

Finally i found a vid about making a background, thanks for this sir alain🥺 im a superfan of yours here in Philippines❤🔥

[@oatmealxo]

Wow, your portraits are so good! The faces are so alive, like movement has been captured, and so beautifully.

[@AlainPicard]

I really appreciate it thanks!

[@creativeoutlet798]

Just the thing I was looking for, I always feel I struggle mostly with backgrounds, thanks!

[@AlainPicard]

You are very welcome CreativeOutlet!

[@scottderrick8166]

Your videos provide a wealth of great ideas and training tips. You are an excellent communicator. Thank you. I am glad I discovered your series.

[@AlainPicard]

Hey Scott, thank you very much, that mans alot! I'm so glad you found the lessons and are benefiting from them. I wish you the very best in your work! Do you work in portrait and landscape as well?

[@scottderrick8166]

I purchased one of your portrait series on Artists' Network. I am looking forward to watching that soon. I mostly enjoy landscapes and still life, but I am eager to try my hand at portraits. Your work has inspired me, as I love pastels. Keep up the good work!

[@mandylwilsonable]

Your work is such a delight to view. Thanks for sharing the helpful pointers and beautiful examples.

[@AlainPicard]

You bet Mandy, all the best! blessings this month of May

[@BreonArt]

ommmmmg thank you for finally addressing what must be the most overlooked topic in learning art. it makes such a difference hearing concrete tips to try when looking at well done backgrounds, they seem so loose and free and effortless. so helpful and so inspiring, thank you!

[@AlainPicard]

Really glad you found them helpful! All the best

[@jazzlehazzle]

Alan I’m speechless. I had no idea your work was at THAT level. You’re a modern master. Truly exceptional among the exceptional. Simply breathtaking. WOW! A++

[@AlainPicard]

Aww, thanks jazzlehazzle, that's really kind. All the best!

[@barbarascott1774]

Thank you so much for all your help and tips, just used broken edges around a duck’s head/ shoulders love your work you are so talented

[@sandyobrien5686]

Excellent topic! Your dynamic backgrounds are wonderful. Thank you for sharing your tips and beautiful portraits.

[@MT-bc6xf]

Super helpful! You are an amazing artist and I appreciate any knowledge you are willing to share. Thank you.

[@jonviol]

Seriously talented bloke .

[@AlainPicard]

thank you Johnny, all the best!

[@suegordon4065]

What a fabulous style and talent!!!

[@AlainPicard]

Aww, thanks Sue, that's really kind.

[@andrewansaldiiii7441]

Wonderful video and such beautiful portraits. Thank you for sharing.

[@AlainPicard]

Andrew Ansaldi III it’s great to hear from again on this video. Thank you for enjoying the portraits too. Now it’s your turn to make something beautiful! All the best

[@user-wt5if6rx8m]

Exactly what I needed. Thanks for sharing your insights

[@matijavuk6223]

glad I found you, such an amazing portrait artist :) And thank you for the background tips, valuable info

[@AlainPicard]

Matija Vuk thanks I am so glad you found the channel as well! I am very honored!

[@roslynburgess-clay1419]

Thank you Alain for this video, very helpful. Am waiting for my New American Portrait set to arrive from the US, then am going to explore portrait painting. Thank you again for taking the time to help, very much appreciated. God bless🙏🏻🙋🏼🇦🇺

[@AlainPicard]

Oh that is very exciting! It will be a fun new adventure into portraiture. Have fun and keep a smile on your face!

[@sharonhenningsen7937]

Thank you. I didn't realize so many ofus struggle with backgrounds

[@SimonaBuna]

Thank you!!! this was the best explanation on how to approach the backgrounds!

[@AlainPicard]

Glad it was helpful! Keep painting

[@kimoliver8096]

I think your work is amazing and inspiring Thank you for sharing your wonderful insight A joy to watch you at work

[@pablottalonso7878]

You are Alain Picard Schmid!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ How can You Made this incredible use of the pastels? You really inspires me!!!😊

[@juliebabb3365]

Wonderful knowledge about your fabulous backgrounds. thanks so much for sharing.

[@AlainPicard]

You are very welcome Julie! All the best to you in your portrait work.

[@cnbowles1]

Perfect Timing!...I am working on a pastel painting of our close friends little dogger that they just lost...I usually won't do this...but they are such good friends I could not say no and I was wondering about how to handle the background...this clarified and answered a lot of questions for me...thank you so much and appreciate you doing these videos for us, very generous and I am very grateful...❤...Your Portraits are Stunning!!!!

[@nicolasuarezfernandez5116]

That was sooo interesting, I listened to bits several times, I have just "finished" maybe not! A portrait of my Grandson's fiancé and dog out in the forest, I had sunlight around her head, what started of fun ended up giving me stress, I changed so much so many times, still think I can do better, I shall re- look following your advice Alain, Bless you and your beautiful wife, your portraits are exceptional 😊

[@AlainPicard]

thank you for your kind words, and all my best on your portrait adventure!

[@everettwhite9874]

Alain, at one time or another I’ve asked myself all the questions you covered in this video and you given me a lot of work on. All of my drawings are charcoal and graphite or a combination of them but, now I want to use pastels. Thanks my friend for sharing the most helpful tips I’ve come across. Subscribed? Yes sir I sure did.

[@AlainPicard]

Really glad that you found this video helpful Everett. All the best to you in your work! Keep going

[@elainelogan2023]

Thanks Alain, i particularly noticed the shadow cast by the hair on the edges of the face, very beautiful

[@CreativeMaxwell]

Your voice and music reaches the soul

[@AlainPicard]

thanks I appreciate it, keep painting!

[@myalicioglu]

I love your video Alain . It is very educational. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.

[@AlainPicard]

You are very welcome, it's a real pleasure to share with you!

[@shelleybrandon2825]

Thank you, so much , for this video. I struggle with appropriate background and background colors. Your examples with your list of what to consider was supreme! Many thanks, again!!

[@AlainPicard]

Shelley Brandon you are very welcome! All the best to you in your portrait work.

[@05Urszula]

Thank you Allen for very useful tips and examples!

[@authia31]

Great pointers haven’t tackled a portrait yet but helpful overall to any painting

[@cinnie2543]

Super wonderful tips, of course. Your portraits are so awesome. Thanks for sharing. And that was a lovely tribute to your wife. :) She is beautiful and the portrait was beautifully done. I'm in awe.

[@cinnie2543]

My greatest struggle with backgrounds is that I've always left them out. I'm beginning to be adventurous and put my feet in the water though.

[@martigreen3055]

This has been such a huge help. I now see what I need to adjust with background and air in the shoulder area. Thank you so much.

[@AlainPicard]

That's great! So glad it was helpful, keep painting Marti

[@annesonnet7946]

Thank you Alain. As always wonderful teaching

[@nancywoodward1641]

I love the vibrancy of these without diminishing the focus of the face. Are these done AFTER you have done the face or at the same time? I have been taught that you don't easily see the true color of the skin tones except in relation to the background color. at the sitting using live models.. Thoughts?

[@roslynburgess-clay1419]

Nancy Woodward That’s a great question Nancy. Will watch this space for Alain’s answer. Actually there are tutorials of Alain painting portraits, if we watched (for me that would be again), am sure we will discover the answer.

[@AlainPicard]

Nancy Woodward thanks and great question. I definitely start the background pretty early, and work back and forth between the head and the background to build up layers and lost and found edges. Gotta start it early! Color and value os relational for sure. All the best!

[@roslynburgess-clay1419]

Thx Alain 🙏🏻🙋🏼🇦🇺

[@n.j.dougherty4872]

VERY HELPFUL SIR! I'm an amateur pet portrait painter and always looking for that little bit of extra to help a portrait pop! This was very well done. THANK YOU so much for sharing.

[@sylvianblue]

What a great video....I didn’t even know I needed these lessons! Joshua and the girl in snow backgrounds are stunning and I love the soft edges theory. This is why I love KZbin. Thanks Alain.

[@AlainPicard]

sylvianblue you have great taste! 😉 Yes using soft edges is such an important part of a winning portrait. Give it a try and let me k ow how it goes!

[@vsekits]

Thank you for this. Some very useful and practical tips

[@rhondawillington9214]

Thanks for another informative video Alain, I always have trouble with backgrounds, mine are always too ‘matt/flat looking, so your advise about lost and found edges as well as use of different colours in the same background is really helpful! Love how you have used red in the painting of your lovely wife, as red is the colour associated with love.

[@AlainPicard]

Rhonda Willington glad you liked it! Yes, try to vary your textures and values in your background to bring more interest and depth. All the best!

[@mustangramblers5910]

Extremely helpful and clearly stated. Thank you so much.

[@AlainPicard]

You're very welcome Mustang, thanks for appreciating! All the best

[@paul7403]

Thank you Alain for your advice.You are a great artist.

[@AlainPicard]

Thanks for watching! Let me know in the comments what your greatest struggle is with portrait backgrounds. Were these four points helpful to you?

[@shelleybrandon2825]

YES!

[@jennimadden1061]

I have been working for months on a portrait, could you help me please with a back ground if I were to send you a photo? I struggled with getting a good likeness and I finally did but I need to make sure a background will compliment this woman's skin which is sienna toned.

[@AlanWinterboy]

Thank you. Don't usually do portraiture, but one of my clients commissioned me to fix a bad background on a portrait from years ago. The artist had apparently changed his mind about the initial background, and covered it all (including some of the foreground edges) with BLACK! This was a very helpful video about principles, and I'm ready to try tomorrow. Will probably use one of your examples as a template.

[@liztimpone1067]

Liked they way you described how to choose colors for the backgrounds. Would like you to show how you paint the colors. Do you do a cross painting with different colors.

[@Hacker-Brine_Gamer]

Very good video

[@DharmeshMakwana-zw1wd]

Thank you very much Sir for very useful information. God bless you

[@mikenorton6899]

Great info! I'm not yet at portraiture but I can use these pointers for my dog portraits. Thanks

[@anzhelikavladyko6202]

Thank you, Alain, for these useful tips! Using the color to attract the viewer's attention to the face, adding air through soft edges and simplifying the background are valuable hints to me. I often tend to focus on too many details.

[@AlainPicard]

Anzhelika Vladyko so glad these pointers were helpful for you! Try to remind yourself as you paint what the focus of the portrait is so you don’t end up majoring on minor details in the background. Hope this helps you make your next portrait your best!

[@anzhelikavladyko6202]

Alain, thank you so much for your individual feedback. It's so meaningful! I'm a teacher and I know what it takes to respond to each student's needs. Thanks for being so giving and helpful! It is really encouraging!

[@AlainPicard]

Anzhelika Vladyko glad to help! All the best in your work and teaching!

[@sharonlefebvre2599]

Thanks for sharing these great points to remember. I do flower portraits and these will work great with them also!

[@Orinoor]

Really helpful, I realized I've used the same blue/grey background for my last 3 portraits, this is giving me a much better direction, thank you.

[@AlainPicard]

so glad it helps!

[@skullingtonfly]

Magnificent backgrounds

[@julierochforte7174]

Wonderful!!! Thank you so much for sharing. Your work is just beautiful!

[@AlainPicard]

You are so welcome! I apreciate your kind comments Julie

[@AlanWinterboy]

Thank you. Don't usually do portraiture, but one of my clients commissioned me to fix a bad background on a portrait from years ago. The artist had apparently changed his mind about the initial background, and covered it all (including some of the foreground edges) with BLACK! This was a very helpful video about principles, and I'm ready to try tomorrow.

[@rossm9609]

You are amazing, and your art work marvelous!

[@AlainPicard]

Aww, thanks so much Maria, that's really kind.

[@ranjanachand9306]

Amazing portraits.. Lovely background and ideas too. Thanks

[@helendavis7819]

Excellent advice. I can use them for close up painting of flowers. You always are very practical and helpful as I work to be a better artist

[@agold1702]

Excellent advice. Thank you!

[@indikhe1538]

Amazing potraits with pastels

[@doralevitt2879]

You do such beautiful portrait work with pastels, I can more or less draw anything I see and I do crazy detailed work in graphite, oil paint and colored pencils (doing a 4x8' wall mural in graphite, plus I'm also a writer and doing a trilogy as well as the book covers), but I haven't used pastels in YEARS, so I'm trying to relearn how to use them, especially in doing detailed work (also wanting to learn watercolor), but I'm subscribed to your channel and I'm greatfull for your teaching- God bless you and your family from NYC! 😊🌷🌻🌹🎨

[@AlainPicard]

Thank you, Dora, appreciate it! You sound like quite a multi-faceted artist. I wish you the very best with your work! That's a big mural, wow!

[@SKANEARTS]

Your work is amazing

[@dech4548]

Great tips! Although I’ve only done one portrait all these great tips apply to the every day painting. Thanks so much for your generosity in sharing your wisdom. We all appreciate it so much!

[@AlainPicard]

You're very welcome Christine, thanks for appreciating! All the best

[@MySweetTootie2]

Beautiful!!! Love this. So helpful . I'm learning to paint portraits, and this is so helpful. I'm working on my second portrait, of a couple. Thank you so much!!!!!

[@AlainPicard]

You are so welcome Barbara!

[@myfredandabby123]

Super helpful. Thanks so much. I do lots of pet portraits and this info will help with that as well.

[@maldoori238]

What a wonderful video. Just what I needed. Thank you very much for sharing your wonderful skills and knowledge.

[@rutbrea8796]

Gorgeous paintings. Thanks for sharing.

[@AlainPicard]

you're very welcome!

[@janewirth3425]

This will be helpful with the still life pastels I do as well. Always hard to decide how to handle the backgrounds!

[@AlainPicard]

yes, it applies to still life as well, just think complements to the subject you are painting. All my best!

[@victorias5587]

Merci Alain!

[@leighsirvent654]

Excellent advice and exactly what I needed!

[@ninarosebarber]

Superb tips, thank you!

[@AlainPicard]

You're so welcome Nina! Glad it was helpful!

[@crisalidathomassie1811]

What a great video! Thanks so much! No other artist will seriously give you guidance the way you have done in this video. I’m sure you didn’t learn it at school either. Blessings and stay well.

[@AlainPicard]

You are so welcome Crisalida!

[@rosaliefunk1629]

You are just soooo wonderful! Thank you. ❤️

[@AlainPicard]

You are so welcome, thanks for your kindness!

[@karenstowe1108]

Thank you Alain! I am just starting out with portraits and love the "mark-making" approach, with lost and found edges advice!!!

[@pirana9745]

your portraits are beautiful, your wife is beautiful and your advice useful! thanks so much

[@AlainPicard]

You're very welcome!

[@jaedo71]

Great video! You showed excellent examples. Do you do any portraits in pencil? I am getting back into pencil myself. I don’t want to do photorealistic but have have some more expressive qualities. Also will get back into charcoal and ultimately I want to break into soft pastels!! Thanks!

[@janapeony8561]

Alain your advice is golden,so helpful,Thank you so much

[@joannehickey8921]

i love following your instruction. Thank you so much.

[@AlainPicard]

Thank you Joanne, it is so nice to hear this. All my best, and keep painting!

[@diamondist]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge

[@AlainPicard]

My pleasure it's fun!

[@lunalluna9401]

Great video. Thanks for sharing this information !

[@anne-mariemarshall3105]

Excellent and most interesting. Thank you.

[@AlainPicard]

You are very welcome Anne-Marie, glad you enjoyed it!

[@aantonucci7459]

Excellent guidance. Your work is beautiful and inspiring. I just received a gift of Blue Earth pastels. Eager to begin, I notice the dust fallout onto the page when working on my easel. I understand how to capture the fallout with a tray at the bottom. I don’t know how to handle pastel dust on the page so it doesn’t contaminate the artwork. I can’t just blend it in. I’ve never seen you have this problem while watching your tutorials. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank you.

[@AlainPicard]

I tilt my easel just slightly forward so the dust falls down into a dust catch below without falling onto my painting. Just forward of vertical. All my best!

[@aantonucci7459]

@@AlainPicard thank you so much for the simple and elegant answer to my problem.

[@leonormartinez6378]

Thank you for this video! Fantastic!

[@AlainPicard]

You are very welcome Leonor!

[@danutasiniarska9118]

Thank you for the video, very nice paintings and and explanations of the background. I will try to experiment with this .

[@jagarman]

That was an awesome tutorial Alain. Thank you so much, now I have more ideas. Blessings.

[@carolferguson5467]

All such great advice! Thank you so much for sharing, I continually look forward to your videos

[@AlainPicard]

That's very kind Carol, thanks so much. It's really fun to share the art of pastel with you all!

[@susank9987]

Beautiful portraits! thank you for the information.

[@hmacomvideo]

Great video about an important part of any portrait, assisting my first acrylic paints portrait for my new hobby, with thanks ...

[@anitatison3893]

That was awesome! Very helpful!

[@AlainPicard]

Glad it was helpful Anita!

[@toniagrantham160]

Thank you for your tips, Alain!

[@AlainPicard]

You are very welcome Tonia! All the best

[@P0L0K0P]

Thanks for the great vids! Very instructional! Could you maybe also do a vid one day on how to create more detail in pastel paintings? I find, when using soft pastels (the ones I use are buttery soft), its hard to paint fine details. Rather than looking detailed, it looks looks blunt and bulky. Keep up the good work!

[@AlainPicard]

thanks for the request! I use hard pastels alongside the soft pastels in portrait work to achieve the details. Keep an eye out for more videos in the days ahead!

[@gunnarannaburling437]

Thank you! Great advice!

[@AlainPicard]

You are so welcome Gunnar & Anna Burling!

[@KMayflower]

I think you pretty much covered all of my questions. Now if I could just paint them like you!! Great info!

[@AlainPicard]

Katie Mayflower thanks! I am glad you found the points helpful. Give them a shot and let me know how they help! All the best

[@viksha5589]

Was very helpful thank you so much

[@paulakhasho3763]

Thank you so much it's so helpful thank you for your advices and for sharing with us. I love watching your videos.

[@AlainPicard]

You are so welcome! Thanks Paula

[@suzannelambert6148]

Thank you soooooooo much!!... it helped a lot!

[@lowen838]

Extremely helpful...Especially leave out more than you leave in....I need to get better at that!! Thank you!

[@AlainPicard]

L Owen we all do! Its an important lesson to learn. Give it a shot in your next portrait!

[@karzanfaridon6100]

Thank you for your help .