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Portrait Painting Demonstration with Helen Van Wyk

In this studio demonstration, Helen walks you through the foundational process of painting a portrait in oils. Rather than focusing on finishing details, Helen emphasizes how a portrait is built—starting with proportion, perspective, and strong lighting, then developing form through tone and flesh color.

This is a remastered version of a previous lesson, featuring enhanced audio-visual quality and dubbed audio in 21 national languages.

Helen explains why proportion is the key to believable drawing, how light defines the human face, and why artists should think in planes rather than isolated features. Using black, white, and gray before introducing color, she demonstrates how to establish structure first, allowing expression and likeness to emerge naturally.

Throughout the lesson, Helen shares practical measuring techniques, insights into anatomy, and her philosophy on painting portraits efficiently while maintaining solidity and life. She also discusses why painting is about the process—not rushing toward results—and how stepping back, correcting, and simplifying are essential to success.

This demonstration is ideal for artists interested in portrait painting, observational drawing, and understanding how light, tone, and proportion work together to create a convincing human likeness.

00:00 Music and Intro Graphic
00:35 Prepare the Canvas
02:20 Accept the Unfinished Look
03:05 The Pressure of Time
03:56 Add Shadow Side First
05:02 The Painter's Eraser
06:19 Importance of Proportion
07:54 What is Flesh Color
10:38 Extra Initial Color
10:55 Color Nose in Two Parts
14:43 Painting the Eyes
15:58 Darker Darks Lighter Lights
18:29 Eye Highlight
20:19 Mistake? Wipe it Out!

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