Painting Tutorial: How to Create a Quick Portrait With Oil Paints

Learn how to speed up your portrait painting process using a combination of oil colors and spray paint

Oil painting has a reputation for being a lengthy process, perhaps due to the exceptionally long time it takes for the paint to dry. But contrary to popular belief, it is possible to quickly create a portrait using oil paint.

Cypriot painter Nikolas Antoniou (@antoniounikolas1) creates experimental portraits with mixed media. The result is a powerful rendering of atmosphere and emotion that he achieves through broad, quick brush strokes and a touch of spray paint. His works have been showcased in galleries across the world, such as the Morren Galleries in The Netherlands and Alpha C. K Art Gallery in Cyprus, and he has also collaborated with the alcoholic beverage giant, Absolut Vodka.

In this tutorial, Nikolas Antoniou smashes any preconceptions you might have about oil painting, showing you how to create your own superfast and stylish portrait by fusing oil and spray paint. Dont' miss it!

How to Create a Quick Portrait With Oil Paints

What you will need

- A minimum of two oil paint colors
- A thin paint brush
- A wide brush
- A small canvas
- White spirit
- Tissue
- A mask
- Spray paint

1. Start from a central reference point

Use a thin brush dipped in white spirit and oil paint to create your first layer. There’s no need to mix your colors if you don’t want to. Create a central reference point on your canvas around which you can more easily construct the shape of your portrait. In this case, the shadow of the nose is a prominent central point, so Antoniou paints it first and then works outward.

2. Don’t worry about the details

Create a rough outline of your shape using rapid brush strokes. Don’t worry about making mistakes or filling out the details at this point; with the next layer you can pay more attention to specific characteristics and get rid of any unwanted effects. This stage is just about finding the shape and giving form to your portrait.

3. Use a folded tissue and a wide brush for a range of effects

Dip your wide brush in white spirit to create large, abstract shadows in your portrait. You can also use a folded piece of tissue dipped in white spirit to blend the layers and create smoother tones, or even to remove any imperfections.

4. Add warmth and texture with spray paint

Make sure to wear a mask before you start using the spray paint. With short, sharp bursts, direct your spray paint to the areas you feel will benefit from added texture and tonality. Consider drips and splashes as happy accidents, adding to the experimental effect of your final piece.

5. Keep on experimenting

You don’t have to stop there; continue adding as many layers, details, and textures as you like until you achieve a result you’re happy with. Remember, the goal is to create an experimental, atmospheric oil portrait using techniques that will speed up your process.

Did you enjoy this tutorial? If you’d like to learn more about using mixed media to create portraits, check out Nikolas Antoniou’s online course Experimental Portraiture: Fusing Oil, Acrylic and Spray Paint.

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