Watercolor Portraits: The Art of the Face

From beginner painters to some of the masters, artists all over the world have chosen watercolor paint to bring their creative vision to life. And there’s nothing more special than capturing the faces of people you love—or even complete strangers—on canvas forever. We’re here to show you just how enjoyable and easy watercolor portraits can be, along with some top tips for getting started, in a handy step-by-step guide.

How to Paint a Portrait in Watercolor

Painting a portrait in watercolor may seem daunting, even to an experienced artist. Particularly if you’re trying to create a realistic face, it can feel like there are a hundred different aspects to perfect, from captivating eyes to true-to-life skin color.

But that’s the beauty of using watercolor paint: What you create doesn’t necessarily have to be realistic! The medium is perfect for creating dreamy, whimsical art that’s reminiscent of your subject, not photo-accurate. 

Plus, learning how to paint watercolor portraits is like any other art form: It’s all about taking your time and enjoying the process. As you practice, you’ll gain confidence in your skills. With the help of Skillshare instructor Arleesha Yetzer, we’re going to walk you through a simple yet dynamic watercolor portrait.

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

Before you can start working on any watercolor portraits, you’ll first want to put together everything you need for your project—your paints, a few brushes, and a watercolor canvas or paper.

When it comes to paints, there are many different brands that you can choose from. If you’re still finding your feet as an amateur artist, buying a premade palette is usually the most affordable option. Once you become more confident in your skills, you can start to build a custom palette with the colors you use most. Don’t forget to grab a jar of water too!

A basic set of brushes should give you everything that you need to dive into your first watercolor portraits. Each brush will have a slightly different effect, so it can be helpful to test them out on scrap paper before working on a new painting. 

For your painting surface, the most commonly used tools are either watercolor paper (which can be loose or in a bound sketchbook) or a special watercolor canvas. Remember that, since watercolor paint is so loose and runny when you apply it, the surface you’re painting on needs to be able to stand up to a greater amount of water.

Step 2: Loosely Sketch Out Your Portrait

The very first step is to lightly sketch out the outline of your portrait. Remember, this doesn’t have to be perfect! The goal is for your sketch to guide you as you paint, acting as a framework to build around.

Working from a reference photo is helpful, so you don’t have to worry about your subject moving (or rely on your memory!).

When you’re painting a portrait in watercolor, you want to make sure that any pencil lines you make are light and delicate so they don’t show through the paint when you’re finished. 

Step 3: Start With the Background

This may seem counter to the approach you’ve taken in other projects, when you leave the background for the end. But when you’re still learning how to paint watercolor portraits, there’s a reason to do it first: It’ll help you choose the right hue for the face. Skin tones look very different against a white background than they do on a colored background, and by painting the background first, you’ll ensure the skin color isn’t washed out once you’ve finished the painting.

Colors like green or blue make excellent background colors when you’re working on portraits of fair-skinned people, and pinks or yellows are perfect for darker skin. Contrasting colors are visually appealing to the eye, so using these opposites will help viewers narrow their focus on the key area, the face.

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Step 4: Use the Skin As Your Base Layer

Most skin tones originate from an orange-based undertone and can range from pink to brown. To get started on this base color, you can use a mix of your three primary colors—red, blue, and yellow. Blend your red and yellow paints to create a standard orange first, then slowly add colors to get your desired shade. 

Adding a bit of watery blue will “desaturate” the base color, toning down the brightness and vibrancy of your orange to create a more realistic-looking skin tone. If you’re after blushed skin, add a small amount of red to your toned-down base. This is ideal for areas of higher blood flow like the cheeks or ears. Adding more blue to this blush mix will create a shady purple that will be perfect for adding to the shadowed areas of the face around the nose or eyes. Play around with different color blends using your primaries, adding more blue for browner tones, or yellows and reds for brighter pinks.

Paint your chosen skin color over your sketch. Use a thicker brush to cover more of the surface area. At this stage, your paint will be fairly wet and disperse around the paper or canvas. This will also make it appear lighter or more see-through. That’s fine at this point in your painting, as you’ll be going back over the canvas in other layers to help build up the vibrancy of the color.

Step 5: Build Contrast

Once you’ve covered most of your portrait in the base layer, it’s time to add dimension to your artwork. As Arleesha Yetzer says, “it’s time to think like a sculptor.”

Add in darker paint to create shadows around the nostrils, under the eyes, and at the very top of the neck underneath the chin. Look back to your reference picture to see where the light hits the face and where those shadows are being cast. Shadows naturally appear to be less in-focus, so keep your brush strokes looser for a less defined look.

It’s best to let your individual layers of paint dry before adding more on top. That way, you can build gradually and decide where extra layers are needed to create more definition in the face.

If you find yourself with paint that’s too watery, grab a paper towel and dab lightly on the area that you want to correct. This is why easy watercolor portraits are great for beginners—they’re much easier to fix than other paint mediums!

At this point, add more detail around the facial features with your thinner brushes to create defined lines. This will contrast well with the softer, looser brush strokes that you’ve been using until now. You’ll really start to see the watercolor texture coming through more clearly as you work toward the finishing touches.

Step 6: Add the Final Elements

As a final touch for this whimsical portrait, get creative and add in some additional features in the background that weren’t in the original reference image. Some foliage or greenery work well within the green background and help to frame the face, or you could go for something completely abstract.

Practice a few freehand leaves on a separate piece of paper if you’re worried about messing something up at this final stage. Once you’re comfortable, paint these throughout your portrait and in the corners, almost as though you’re sculpting them around the face.

That’s it—your portrait is finished! Take a few moments to put down your brush and admire your new piece of art before cleaning up your workspace.

Capture a Moment in Watercolor Paint

Being able to give a beautiful, handmade portrait to someone is an incredible gift. It says so much about the time and care that you’ve put into making it. And it also helps you to build your skills as an artist and feel more confident as you start to work on other watercolor portraits and paintings. 

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