Alla Prima Portrait Painting: Walkthrough and Explanation

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[@glynwilliams4204]

I have been using this method to paint in Procreate, and it works really well.

[@oscarjimenezgomez1372]

Really?', what brush you use?

[@glynwilliams4204]

@@oscarjimenezgomez1372 - Any paint brush will work - but I have been using a set called Sargents Oils. The wet filbert is pretty good at producing painterly/loose marks.

[@chukukaogude5894]

I used something similar in corel painter. I watched his and many other YTbers and created my own method. In fact I did a self portrait about a year ago and posted it on YT. I started in 2020 and had a crap load of time. When learning to digital paint, it is far superior to find traditional painters and learn from them at the beginning. At least in my opinion. Did you post any of your digital paintings? I'd like to see how far you progressed. I will be honest in 2022 I haven't done much. I plan to change that in 2023

[@L4lN]

@@chukukaogude5894hope 2023 went well for you and your artistic endeavors!

[@mde_1960]

This is the best alla prima demonstration I’ve been able to find on you tube. Thank you!

[@mechx3247]

This painting is so good i was about to cry

[@anita-qq9iw]

wow, what an artist. Absolutely brilliant the way you painted the portrait. Thanks for sharing but your kind of talent is natural and pure gifted.

[@kellartist]

You possess a profound understanding of portraiture ,. Your video was full of insights and very interesting to watch . Thank you .

[@kristenroskobfineart]

This was incredibly helpful as I'm just dipping my toes into oil painting. Your work is incredible and the way you described your process was incredibly helpful. Thank you!

[@frhythms]

Absolutely beautiful. And thank you for the lessons!

[@KayInMaine]

Incredible! You make it look so easy!

[@smkelleystudio]

Phenominal! By far my favorite technique!

[@paulofrade2552]

Wow, incredibly beautiful!

[@ophanap]

I've just started oil painting and this was such a rich resource! I'll definitely be coming back to review this again.

[@petebeltran2107]

Thank you! For sharing an amazing tutorial!

[@pmlm1571]

Great work, great teacher. thank you for the generous tutorial.

[@JuanHernandez-hu4qo]

Muy buen video Arthur, explicas muy bien tu proceso. Ahora mismo voy a poner en práctica lo que aprendí :D

[@surayatewary4910]

Brilliant, thank you so much Arthur 🧡

[@user-vw6xp5nl6t]

Gorgeous! and inspiring. Thank you

[@erich7312]

Thanks for the great information. Nice painting!

[@TheLindosguy]

Superb work!

[@puranswithabhasharmajawas]

Amazing you make it look so easy, but it is pure skill and experience you have, beautiful work

[@memdy7452]

WOW! This was extremely impressive! Bravo!

[@Bernardoarte97]

Increíble! Gracias gracias por tanto

[@francoistourigny3006]

Divine! Great talent thank you

[@rudyadnan1445]

Beautiful painting

[@nikkiswenson54]

Thank you very much...good info and teaching!

[@barbarahowell5438]

Thanks for the explanation and illustration. I'm a new portrait artist who begins with a sketch, but I want to do it your way. Now I'm ready to try.

[@MoniqueBourgeois]

Excellent instruction TY

[@NiuniusGallery]

Omg Arthur Good job ~👍 your video is really inspiring, I'm so proud of myself that I found out your channel, great artwork! 😍 Very detailed, I hope that u will keep on drawing and sharing as I'm sure that your creativity is unlimited, u definitely deserve more views and subscribers‼️ All the best, stay safe n take care, best wishes from Malaysia~

[@julioespinosa1788]

Great tutorial, thank you very much for sharing!!!

[@MsMmiicchhaall]

you really added soul to this portrait!

[@iqbalpreetpadam7521]

Awesome work 😱😱😱😱

[@corinalrose]

Thank you so much! ♥️

[@MoniqueBourgeois]

Great lessons here…thank you😊

[@rubenscasco801]

Thanks I have come across this Video of yours..I luv the method..You are a Maestro..

[@lisaoloughlin6476]

Cooler brown on hair , your so fantastic, love your work how up pull out those features

[@DotaCandies]

Really insane!

[@christinegalysh7433]

Thank you and all the best.

[@moonbubbles3046]

Your final painting is stunning. And she reminds me of the character Alice Munro (played by Jodhi May) in the film *Last of the Mohicans,” when she is standing on the precipice on the promontory - the moment before she jumps. Just a stunning painting.

[@FabricioAlencarDesignergrafico]

Fantastic

[@2ndBirth]

This was great. Thanks for sharing this :o)

[@a-72-mestrysumitsubhash31]

Thank you❤️

[@mrjanssen3856]

Thank you for sharing👍

[@lindastevenson6642]

thank you amazing

[@jeanluc5311]

Great technique ty

[@ImTyzn]

Superb!

[@user-yk4wf2yp2o]

wonderful thanks

[@hamoudi728]

Wow just wow

[@knowtheledgends753]

awesome thanx

[@michaeljohnangel6359]

Excellent, maestro!!!!! Bravo! I'm passing this on to our students at the Angel Academy of Art, Florence.

[@ArthurGain]

thank you! Means a lot

[@michaeljohnangel6359]

@@ArthurGain Ciao maestro! I've been a fan of your paintings for a long time. It's nice to be in touch, albeit indirectly through KZbin. Your videos, too, are fabulous.

[@ArthurGain]

@@michaeljohnangel6359 Likewise! I hope to visit Angel Academy next time I am in Florence.

[@Art.huriya]

Thanks for sharing 👍👍

[@Selftaught_777]

Amazing

[@ivanrivas3073]

Amazing, 👏

[@spv7040]

Wow ❤

[@shahzadqurashi7728]

Brilliant

[@dansisco3076]

Excellent video, thank you…. For sharing your incredible talent and technique…. 😑 🛎❣️ 🙏

[@arienfarghi7107]

Just wow

[@AstralWorks_unspoken411]

Technically your sketching with a brush haha great work! Trying to get better at sketching with my brush myself, lots different but fun:)

[@frederickphoenix]

Unrelated, but I really like your voice and accent.

[@lordshivaart7772]

Nice art mem

[@monicaconsigliereLavieenfleur]

Amazing. Is that possibke to do it wuth acenrylic painting ?

[@brianphillips474]

Wow

[@marctoonz813]

can you go over your camera setup? like how do you see the canvas with the camera between you? or is the camera looking over your shoulder

[@scribblebeck]

How do you get your brush to move so fast?

[@mikecastro2894]

You need to highlight the left nostril, it is a characteristic part of the model's resemblance.

[@seanr2157]

You are as talented at teaching as you are at painting! Not many artists can say the same. Very very nice work. Cheers.

[@ArthurGain]

Thank you so much 😀

[@lisaoloughlin6476]

Ttle lighter onleft side of eye

[@hayamelsayed1165]

where can I find the real time ?

[@chriszablocki2460]

I should get and love an unneutered male blue nose pitbull. Because the devils that want to destroy what I love might find that a little more daunting than they're used to. Happy to clarify my thinking for both you and the bad guys.

[@joseroncero8379]

A very nice painting of a another woman.

[@lisaoloughlin6476]

You just need a little cooler blue in there

[@vladpavlenko]

Great video! I have a "beginner's" question : ) Do you used a solvent for the first dark wash when you blocked the general shape at the every beginning? And also do you use a solvent to clean the brushes during the painting? thanx!

[@ArthurGain]

Yes, I use Gamsol in the beginning. I clean brushes with it after the session, during the process I just wipe pigment off the brush with paper towel.

[@vladpavlenko]

@@ArthurGain thank you, I also started to stop cleaning brushes in process of painting, but wasn't sure it's a good habit : )

[@meredith7236]

Why do U glue it to aluminium and can U show how that looks one video . Thankyou

[@stephengreico2810]

This is absolutely amazing What I struggle with the most is drawing and getting the likeness. Any suggestions?

[@friedricengravy6646]

Likeness, wether its a portrait or an object in a still life, is found a lot through adjusting values. Sometimes its the drawing that needs correction, but before u do, check the measurement of each value shape in the area u feel needs work. A lot of time, its not the linear shape that is throwing ur eye off but instead the size of a value shape within the area. Then, as well, really b hard on ur value choices, even the ones around the area u r having trouble with. Just like a shape, if value in the positive or negative space is off just a little, it can cause the nose to protrude too much or a neck to not recede under the chin. For instance, u might completely change the chin shape only to later realize it was a neck value that was creating the illusion of a bad chin drawing. Distance between eyes, length & width of nose, lips, & type of chin with proper placement under the mouth. Those r all areas that can mess up a ‘likeness’. As well, do not make things perfectly symmetric. Ears & eyes r not exactly the same size & they move independently of each other when we smile or talk or move. If ur final portrait looks too stiff look for areas of too much symmetry…..& u can create variety by breaking edges, soften some, or even ‘lose’ an edge here & there. Its very difficult to have a strong likeness if we paint differently than how we see. We focus on one area such as the eyes or mouth. While doing so, other areas such as the nostrils or ears r blurred & in less focus. By imitating this u will immediately see a better resemblance & certainly a more creative portrait. Thats the artist choice within very piece, which edges to make sharp, which to blur &/or to lose. U must decide early on exactly where u want the viewer to look the most, what is the ‘focus’ of the piece. U the artist need to direct their eye through the painting & u can do this by manipulating edges & color. Best of luck! 🎨✌🏻

[@libbysmithstudio]

Many, many hours of painting. I logged thousands of hours of intentional practice before I felt confident in portraits.

[@juliedejesus]

Can you list your palette.

[@yomelkiparra2644]

La pinto mas bonita que en la foto

[@hayamelsayed1165]

CAN I KNOW THE PALLET COLOR ?

[@buttpub]

my painting skills level is not even high enough to paint the signature

[@brain0nfire]

What medium did you use here? It seems to dry pretty quickly.

[@ArthurGain]

Rublev's Oil Medium No 5

[@brain0nfire]

@@ArthurGain Thanks. Keep doing this. I love your work and admire it a lot.

[@SonnyBurnett2012]

If theres no fat over lean, how to avoid cracking with an alla prima painting? Thx

[@ArthurGain]

Fat over lean is for layering, alla prima is one layer

[@SonnyBurnett2012]

@@ArthurGain ok, but even so, how to avoid cracking paint since every paint looks thicker/fat?

[@ArthurGain]

@@SonnyBurnett2012 there are no thick layers in the painting shown in the video

[@SonnyBurnett2012]

@@ArthurGain oh no? But looks like. Im a newbie. So im still struggling to find the right consistency and videos fools me a lot. So, im sorry. I thought thin layers would be more liquid. Sometimes i think its more with a dry smudge look than liquid. Or even like a gel, but not like butter.

[@Thesamurai1999]

How much time did you spend on this?

[@ArthurGain]

It was done in one sitting, something like 3-4 hours

[@Thesamurai1999]

@@ArthurGain Amazing! And thanks for answering both my questions! :)

[@franz3810]

why did you make her nose smaller lol

[@khadijatulkubora6529]

It’s so scarry 😶

[@elenstefs]

Have you thought of uploading your references somewhere so people who have a hard time finding these kind of references can practice?

[@ArthurGain]

I upload unique reference set each month to my Patreon page as exclusive content for my patrons. I also share some during my Alla Prima Sundays on twitch.tv/arthurgain

[@elenstefs]

@@ArthurGain Thanks for the reply!

[@user-ps2nq6or5s]

+

[@milcotto4153]

Is that Mona Lisa?

[@lisaoloughlin6476]

The right eye ball does not touch the bottom lid

[@TheToppings]

This is beautiful and very informative. I can't help think it's a shame you "prettied" her up, normalising her larger features and tones and made her look more mature, but maybe that was the intention.

[@DianelosGeorgoudis]

Very interesting indeed. And instructive. But also instructive in the negative sense, in that it illustrates a problem faced by all realist portraitists, namely the instinctive tendency to move their painting towards the norm. I noticed how many small mistakes were corrected, for example the left eyebrow was moved out of its original horizontal position. But look at the end result: The eye on the left is left too low and too far from the brow. And look at the overall impression: The sitter's face is tilted downwards and its vertical orientation is skewed clockwise (noticeable in both eyes), but these fundamentals are lost in the final painting. (The face is also a little thinner, but that's less significant). So what's the solution to this common phenomenon? I'd say the first thing to do is to identify how the sitter differs from the norm. And perhaps more importantly, do not hurry with the details. The foundation of the pointing is the sketch at about 2:30 in the video. Invest a lot of time in this sketchy state, comparing it over and over again with the sitter, perhaps while squinting. It may even help to exaggerate: make your sketch a little more skewed or different from the norm than the sitter. As if you were drawing a cartoon. The subsequent work will bring things back into balance. Finally, always be self-critical, as if you were someone else looking at the unfinished work. If, at a certain mature stage you are not really satisfied, if your work doesn't 'sing', don't be afraid to scrap it off the canvas and start again. Some great painters (Whistler comes to mind) did this often. In general, set the bar as high as you dare. Mentally, you should think that you are trying to create the greatest portrait of all time.

[@glennhidalgo8192]

Why are you watching braveheart when you paint 😂

[@user-sg2cp8bi9i]

رسم جيد لكن لم يكن هناك شبه للصورة، مع اخطاء هندسية من ارتفاع وانخفاض، نتمنى لك الخير والتوفيق.

[@TheObSeRvErTheObSeRv]

Your not doing it from a sketch. But a PHOTO. ....!

[@spectorblind]

You see her prettier then she is

[@seling5290]

Impara a disegnare