Loose Style Portrait Artists

There are only a handful of portrait artists that have the style of sketching and painting that I’d like to master:

• Felix Scheinwerfer (Instagram: @felixscheinberger)
• Ulrike Selders (Instagram: @ulrikeselders)
• Roz Stendahl (Instagram: @rozstendahl) 

They all have a loose style for sketching portraits, and I love their vibrant use of colour. It’s not always an exact representation of reality, but their creative choices always make their colour choices work.

I’m currently working through some Roz Stendahl tutorials, and here’s how my versions turned out.

Portrait Image #1

Although the watercolour layer is pretty heavy handed, I think it compliments this tough-looking guy. I was particularly happy with the way the hat turned out.

He could be a boxer (history of a broken nose?), and it’s this feature that interested me the most. I like how Roz captures noses with just a few simple but effective lines. This is the inspiration I need to keep doing her tutorials to master this feature.

Portrait Image #2

I’m not as happy with this second loose portrait. The primary issue I have is that I didn’t leave enough white areas, and the rest of the face has heavily-handed applied colour. I’ve just got to accept that not all sketches are going to be masterpieces – are they?

I’m at the beginning of this loose portrait journey, and even though these aren’t caricatures, the colour choices and focus on specific features (e.g. the eyes) have a caricature vibe.

These portraits are sketched loosely and quickly, and the painting process is a voyage of discovery, so I’m going to learn something new with each portrait I attempt.

Each “failure” teaches me more than a successful portrait.