Traditional portraits can take days and even weeks to complete.
Digital speed painting produces artwork quickly and efficiently. Street artists often use this technique to produce portraits while their client waits, and art students practice speed painting to enhance their skills. Use the graphic painting program of your choice to create a realistic portrait in less than an hour.
Initial Drawing
Drawing in the basic body shape is key to starting your portrait correctly. The initial drawing will serve as the foundation for your finished product. Create a few layers to refine the drawing; lay the new layer on top of the old to add in details, then delete the other line layers when you have your final drawing. Reduce the opacity each time you create a new layer so you can see your progress. Once you have your final drawing, increase the opacity again to build up the dark and light areas in the portrait.
Greyscale Painting
Monotone painting is quicker than painting with color because it allows you to see the contrasts and lighting within the portrait quickly and easily. You're also not spending time perfecting colors as you draw. If you want color in the finished version, start it in gray scale and then add a color layer over the top when it's nearly complete.
Limit Layers
Use layers to focus on different aspects of the portrait, such as to finalizing the initial drawing, contrasting light and dark areas, completing the skin tone and adding in details. For greater efficiency, limit the numbers of layers you create, and save each one as a separate file. If your computer crashes or you make a mistake on a layer, you can easily revert back to the last saved version.
Mirroring
The mirror tool in most digital painting software will flip the image on its horizontal axis. Use these mirroring tools to show your portrait's reflective symmetry, which will help you check quickly for detail and accuracy. It also allows you to reposition the portrait in little time.
