How to Paint a Portrait in Oil | 7 Step Tutorial for Realistic Results (Gesso to Gloss)

Today I'm taking you through my complete portrait painting process, from a blank canvas to a finished oil painting. My subject for this piece is a vibrant Japanese geisha. I always begin by preparing my surface properly. Here I'm going to apply first layer of gesso on a canvas sheet. Once it dries, I check the texture and then apply a second coat to make sure the surface is smooth and evenly primed. When the gesso is still wet, I clean my brush immediately because if the gesso dries up on the brush, the bristles can stick together and get damaged. I gently press the brush against my palm moving in circular motions until all the gesso is completely washed out. Next, I set up my painting space. I place the canvas sheet on a board and secure it with pins, making sure it stays steady while I work. Before I start painting, I prepare my oil painting mediums. I'm using linseed oil, sansador and liquin. These are essential parts of my oil painting process and help control the flow and drying time of the paint. For the initial drawing, I use yellow ochre mixed with a bit of turpentine. This keeps the sketch light and flexible, allowing me to make changes easily without committing too early. I begin drawing the portrait, focusing on proportions, expression and the overall mood, setting the foundation for the layers that will come next. At this stage, I'm only focusing on proportions, not details or resemblance. That comes later. One of the biggest mistakes artists make is jumping into details too early. It's important to follow a step-by-step process and build the painting gradually. Now I'm starting the underpainting using my absolute favorite color, alizarin crimson. It's a translucent color which allows for beautiful variations in tone, especially when mixed with yellow ochre. Together, these two warm colors create a vibrant foundation that will influence the entire painting. Once the drawing is done, it's very important to step back and look at your work from a distance. This fresh perspective immediately shows you what's off. And yes, even in oil painting, you can erase. Simply wash the area with turpentine and redraw on it. I always paint the background first. In general, paint what is farthest away first. And what is closest last. Right now, I'm loosely filling in color, working from thin to thick paint. Whatever hue you place in the first layer will subtly show through the upper layers. So this is where you can build vibrancy from the beginning. When painting portraits, I mix multiple skin tones and apply different tones to a different area of the face. A portrait is never just one flat skin color. This filling stage is the foundation of the entire painting. Every layer I add later will sit on top of this. So getting these initial tones right is essential. Now I'm shifting my focus to the forms. I build form by carefully observing the shadows, the dark areas, and the highlights. This is where the flat two-dimensional surface slowly begins to feel three-dimensional. By adjusting values, lights against darks, I start sculpting the face with paint. For capturing the likeness, I switch to a very small double zero brush. This helps me refine delicate features and subtle expressions. But I never use this brush in the beginning stages. Using a size 2 brush, details should only come in once the foundation, proportions, tones, and forms is already strong. Only then does it make sense to focus on resemblance. I continue developing the rest of the portrait, mainly strengthening the darks and lights. I begin adding highlights, the lightest values in the painting, but only in areas where the layers underneath already feel resolved. Highlights should never be rushed. The base must look complete before you place them. At this stage, I've refined the facial features, but I'm still building the rest of the forms across the painting, layering paint gradually tone over tone. Many artists might feel the painting is finished here, but this is usually where the most important final step is missed, the one that truly elevates the entire piece. For the last step, I mainly use liquid. It helps restore vibrancy in areas that may look full or washed out and adds a subtle gloss to unify the whole painting. I also apply final highlights, this time with impasto. Thicker, textured paint in brightest areas adds dimension and dynamic energy to the portrait. And that's my complete painting process, the techniques and steps that helped me create expressive, vibrant portraits. Let me know what you think about this process and try it if it resonates with you. Tell me in the comments what you'd like me to paint next. Thank you so much for watching.