Second try, still not pleased: "Twiggy"
Back in October 2025, I started with the workshop "How to Paint a Portrait in Acrylics" led by Dimitra Milan from the Milan Art Institute. (This was right before I attended the "Acrylic Painting Made Easy" workshop, from where I created "Pete Parrot"). However, I wasn't satisfied with my progress, so I decided to start over. It's taken some time to get back to it, but here we go. š
Dimitra's painting style is abstract and free-flowing. It's impressive to watch but challenging to replicate. I admire this loose style, but since I'm accustomed to realistic drawing, adopting this approach to painting turns out to be quite difficult for me. And this is precisely why this workshop is so beneficialāit offers a different way of painting to explore.
My initial attempt in October last year resulted in this:
Even though I began quite well and loose, I wasn't pleased with the direction it was heading...
"The dimensions aren't correct... I donĀ“t like these colours... ItĀ“s not loose enough...." š¤
So..... I covered it in white gesso... to start over...Ā š
That's the advantage of acrylics. You can apply a new layer of gesso (either white or black) and start fresh without wasting the canvas... š
The actual "restart" took me some time, though. Primarily because we were occupied with other things and I chose to complete "Pete Parrot"Ā first.
However, by November, I found the time to work on some underpaintings. I love using my spray bottle to get unexpected abstarct results, and this particular one appears to be a promising new foundation for Twiggy.
As the underpainting is ready, I dive right in with sketching the proportions. This time I using what IĀ“ve learned in the realistic drawing challenge. This way the propotions are much better than in my first attempt.
Although I see the advantage of the Milan method, as it teaches you to really look at the source better and learning to see the right proportions...
It's better than my first attempt, but it's still not how I'd like it to be....
My darks seem too dark. š¤ I try to keep it loose like dimitra, but not quite getting the same effect....
The next steps involves adding skin tones, and I'm leaning towards a realistic drawing style again... š I'm not satisfied with the neck and the shadow on her face; they seem to stand out too much... And one eye is too big (or the other too small.... š¤)
I'm pleased with the nose, despite it often being a challenging feature in a face...
Nearly finished now. To be honest, I'm starting to get a bit tired of her at this stage. So, I spend another afternoon finalizing details like the eyelashes, enhancing the lips, and adding highlights to the hair. And thatĀ“s it:
Perhaps I'm being overly critical, but I still don't like her. š¤š I do like my abstract background, though, yet the portrait appears too realistic and too tidy. It's quite unlike Dimitra's example.
I might attempt it again one day using a different source image... As I would love to learn how to be more relaxed with acrylics, leaving realistic drawing to charcoal and graphite, or in combination with splashing, like Asvin Harrisson does. Maybe that's more
my style. Ā š
Putting my own critique aside, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
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