Mike Skidmore demonstrates portrait painting

Mike gave us fascinating insights into his techniques and his life story. After three years at art school, he gave up painting for 15 years!

Usually Mike paints his portraits using traditional oil techniques. For this demonstration he took advantage of the quicker drying times of acrylic before switching to oil glazes in the later stages.

The portrait was based on a monochrome photograph - subject unknown but obviously with some depth of character which Mike likes to portray with realism.

His drawing with 2B pencil had been done in advance (about an hour of work) and washed over thinly with Payne's Gray acrylic paint. This seals the drawing and provides a base for the underpainting also done in Payne's Gray of varying intensity.

You can see more about Mike's technique on his website  http://www.mikeskidmoreonline.com/

Underpainting in Payne's Gray 

The painting after glazes with acrylic and oil