Baby Portrait (Oils)

detail of baby painted portrait oil on canvas

A large, painted baby portrait, in oil paint on canvas

baby painted portrait oil on canvas
Above: Full painting. Oils on canvas (30″ x 40″)

detail of baby painted portrait oil on canvas detail of baby painted portrait oil on canvas detail of baby eye painted portrait oil on canvas

Progress Images

I only have two step-by-step images for this painting. Here they are. I painted this one in just 3 stages. I skipped the monochrome, neutral underpainting where I’d usually establish the tonal values. Instead I lightly and very sparsely marked in the composition in pencil, and went straight to a fairly thin coloured wash. Once that was dried, I worked over that with only very slightly thinned colour, then over that with detail.

Above: Close to completion
Above: I seem to have done the sparse underdrawing first, then straight into a colour underpainted wash

Artist: John White
Media: Oil paint, Canvas