Contemporary Realism in Oils Part 2: The Portrait

In this course, professional contemporary realist gallery painter Hollis Dunlap teaches you his approach to painting both the portrait and figure in oils. Hollis has refined his painting approach, first learned at the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, over decades of painting and teaching.

You will work along with Hollis through each of the stages of painting, from a basic block-in of the big masses, to the final rendered picture.

Hollis begins by introducing the materials he uses and why he uses them, then demonstrates his painting process with two main projects: a one-day portrait painting and a four-day figure painting. Along the way, you will learn foundational painting topics such as understanding the form, the importance of value, and the selection and use of color.

In this second lesson, Hollis shares his process of painting a portrait from life. You will be guided trough the development and understanding of line, form, value, temperature and color. Special attention is given to composition and visual texture as important components of the resulting picture.