Fundamentals To Mastering Stylized Portrait Painting Class Work Jun 2026

Before color, you must master the "Notan" (light/dark pattern). In class, you will paint your portrait in greyscale first. You cannot move to color until the skull reads as a 3D form using only black, white, and two greys. This is the "sculpting" phase.

The number one mistake students make in stylized portrait classes is "outline drawing." They trace the external contour of a photo and try to paint inside the lines. This results in flat, lifeless masks. Before color, you must master the "Notan" (light/dark