Blonde hair

[Renee Price]

Does anyone have suggestions for mixing colors for convincing blonde hair?

Thanks,

Renee Price

[Michael Georges]

Blonde hair can be painted with flesh tones tinted slightly with something like yellow ochre or transparent gold ochre for the higher values, and raw sienna and burnt umber at the low values.

[Denise Hall]

Hello Renee,

Having a blonde model has been my challenge for a while. I have this painting, along with three others of this same model (my daughter, Cami) almost finished, so I am braving the Forum and posting it here for you to see her hair. I truly am challenged by the many reflections I see and am constantly trying to not see each and every little hair and every single color. It is still too bright - and even appears brighter in this outdoor shot which I took today with plain old Ektachrome 200 film and a zoom lens on my vintage Nikon (a great camera). I will see if it will post, and then post the colors I used to get the hair so far.

Remember, I am still working and will probably be toning it down further while trying not to lose the light.


p.s. The photo of this painting is on the photo critique section if you want to see the source photo. http://forum.portraitartist.com/show...6&pagenumber=1

[Denise Hall]

For the hair I used many colors on my palette. I work with Peggy Baumgaertner's palette with a couple of additions I have picked up from John De La Vega's palette. I admire both their work very much. Most of my paint is Winsor Newton or Rembrandt with additions of Gamblin's Alizarin Crimson and Old Holland various Naples yellows.


I began at the back of her hair in the shadow, dividing her hair into 3 values. I used kings blue, alizarin,cerulean blue and dioxizine purple and quite possibly some ivory black. (Mamieri puro). For the mid value area I used cadmium orange, alizarin or quinocridone rose and some yellow ochre . The lights are yellow ochre, cadmium yellow, cad. orange and hints of quinoc. rose with some white.


I hope this helps -- sounds like a lot of colors!

[Chris Saper]

Blonde Hair

I approach painting blonde hair the same way as I would any color of hair (actually any form in general).

First, I make a decision about the average value and average hue of its local color. Blonde hair has a much wider range of both value and color than one might think at first blush. Blonde hair is usually some version of grayed-down yellow; it can be desaturated by either warms (as in this example), or cools.

Then, I consider the hair as a form with curves, that contain areas that are relatively lighter, relatively darker or in the middle.(Similar to the value-massing discussion in several other threads.) The local value of the hair, together with the strength of the light source will be the gauge for how large the value range will be.

[Chris Saper]

Next, I consider the color of the light source, so that I can move temperatures (always within the correct value range) in the right direction. In this example the hair on our left is lit by direct, warm sunlight; the hair on our right (and in the cast shadow on our left) is illuminated by relatively cooler light, reflected from the sky, and uninfluenced by the color of direct sunlight. The most accurate local color is found in the transition area between light and shadow.

[Chris Saper]

An additional note:

Even though you may be looking at the different values within the form of the hair, the hair still needs to be true to the overall value-massing scheme of your painting. If it's in light, it has to stay in light; if it's in shadow, it has to stay in shadow.

[Linda Brandon]

Just had to comment on this terrific pastel, which is of me.

I've never looked so good in my life, and neither has my hair. Thanks again, Chris.

[Renee Price]

Thank you very much, Michael, Denise, and Chris! You've all posted great examples and I will use your recomendations.

I'm proud of you, Denise, for posting your painting. You've got a great start and should post more of your work in the future! Great color! All together now..."You go girl!"

Renee