• 60 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

Portrait Painting Ideas

Three ideas, each a portrait with its colors and the step to start with.

Portrait Painting Ideas

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  1. Face in swab dots, darker dots where the shade fallsTan, brown, dark brown, cream. Press each dot with a cotton swab and crowd the dark ones under the brow.
  2. Head as stacked ovals: bun, face, neck and shouldersPlum, peach, teal. Stack four ovals down the canvas and fill each flat in one color.
  3. Night head in navy and violet with one pale yellow lightNavy, violet, pale yellow. Paint the whole head dark, then lay yellow on the brow, nose and chin only.

Next step Build a four-color paletteSilhouettes from one flat shape

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Family and friends from your photos 12

  • Aunt holding the family dog up beside her own face Tan, white, russet, olive. Paint both heads as two ovals of equal size, then give each its ears.
  • Best friend caught mid-laugh, hair across one eye Peach, coral, dark brown, white. Paint the hair as one flat shape before any feature goes in.
  • Dad dozing in a recliner, reading glasses pushed up Gray, cream, brown, navy. Tilt the head on a slanted center line and hang the features from that line.
  • Friend blowing a pink gum bubble, eyes crossed Pink, white, peach, brown. Paint the bubble as a flat disc and add one white window of shine to it.
  • Grandfather in a flat cap squinting into the sun Ochre, rust, blue gray, cream. Lay the shadow of the cap across the eyes as one cool band.
  • Grandmother at the piano, face turned toward the keys Cream, gray violet, brown, rose. Block the head and shoulders as one dark shape against the pale wall first.
  • Kid brother in a bike helmet with a gap-toothed grin Red, tan, white, charcoal. Paint the helmet first; its curve sets the size of the whole head.
  • Mom weeding the tomato bed, sun hat tipped back Straw yellow, sage, tan, tomato red. Dot the sun coming through the brim onto her cheek with a cotton swab.
  • Newborn cousin wrapped in a striped blanket, eyes shut Pink, cream, pale blue. Keep every edge soft by blending each color into its neighbor while both are wet.
  • School picture redone: stiff smile on a blue backdrop Sky blue, white, tan, brown. Blend the backdrop from a light center to darker corners before the head.
  • Two sisters cheek to cheek, repeated in four small frames Pink, teal, black, white. Rule four boxes down the canvas and paint the same two heads in each one.
  • Winning team after the game, heads only, in three rows Grass green, white, tan, navy. Paint every head as a plain oval first and keep the back row smaller.

Profile and three-quarter views 12

  • Full face square on, framed by a hood pulled tight Orange, tan, charcoal. Paint the hood as a ring first and fit the features inside its opening.
  • Glance back over a shoulder, face turned mostly away Navy, peach, auburn. Overlap the shoulder across the chin so the turn of the neck reads.
  • Half-length figure, arms folded, head turned to profile Burgundy, tan, gray, cream. Block the folded arms as one bar across the body before the head.
  • Head seen from above: the parting, lashes and nose tip Dark brown, tan, pink, gray. Paint the hair as a full disc and let the face show only as a crescent.
  • Profile in a scarf wound up to the nose Red, cream, tan, charcoal. Stripe the scarf around the form so its bands curve like the neck beneath.
  • Profile in round glasses, the lens a narrow oval Tan, black, pale blue, cream. Paint the near lens as a slim ellipse and leave the far one out.
  • Profile with a high bun, the neck in one long curve Mustard, brown, cream. Paint the neck and jaw as one sweeping stroke with a wide flat brush.
  • Same sitter three times: full face, three-quarter, profile Gray, tan, brown, white. Keep the brow, nose and chin on three level guide lines across all three heads.
  • Strict profile on a flat teal ground, one eye showing Teal, tan, dark brown. Draw the outline from forehead to chin in one pass, then fill it flat.
  • Three-quarter view cropped so one ear leaves the canvas Olive, peach, brown, white. Push the head off center until the near ear is cut by the edge.
  • Three-quarter view with the far cheek cut off by the nose Peach, rose, umber, gray green. Mark the center line of the face as a curve before placing the eyes.
  • Two profiles back to back, sharing one outline of hair Black, coral, mint. Fill the shared hair shape flat, then paint a face out from each side of it.

Limited palettes 12

  • Face in pink and green set side by side, unblended Pink, mint green, white. Lay short strokes of each next to the other and do not brush across the joins.
  • Face in sepia washes on cream paper, the paper as light Sepia, cream paper. Thin the paint with water and leave bare paper for the brightest planes.
  • Face in three steps of one blue: pale, middle, dark Ultramarine, white. Mix all three steps on the palette before you start and use nothing else.
  • Face in warm colors only: yellow lights, crimson darks Yellow, orange, crimson. Work from the yellow planes toward the crimson, stepping through orange between.
  • Grayscale head painted from a black-and-white photo Black, white. Mix five grays in a row on the palette and number where each goes on the sketch.
  • Head from four tubes: earth yellow, red, black, white Yellow ochre, red, black, white. Squeeze out just these four and mix every other color from them.
  • Head in black, white and one red, nothing mixed between Black, white, red. Sort the photo into three areas, lightest, middle and darkest, and give each one color.
  • Head in three flat grays, each with a hard edge Light gray, mid gray, charcoal. Fill each area flat and let it dry before the next gray touches it.
  • Night head in navy and violet with one pale yellow light Navy, violet, pale yellow. Paint the whole head dark, then lay yellow on the brow, nose and chin only.
  • Portrait in a single brown thinned to five strengths Burnt umber, water. Start with the palest wash over the whole head and darken in four more passes.
  • Portrait in orange lights and blue shadows, no skin color Orange, cobalt blue, white. Paint every lit plane orange and every shaded plane blue with a hard edge between.
  • Sitter in sap and bottle green over a rose underpainting Sap green, bottle green, white, rose. Let small gaps of the rose layer show between the strokes.

Light: window, lamp, backlight 12

  • Backlit curls glowing orange, the face in cool shade Orange, lilac, gray blue. Paint the face as one cool flat tone and ring the hair with broken orange.
  • Birthday candles lighting a face leaning in to blow Yellow, orange, brown, dark red. Glaze watery yellow over the lower face once the first layer is dry.
  • Child under a blanket with a flashlight, lit from below Yellow, orange, deep blue. Put the lightest paint on the chin and cheeks and fade it out toward the brow.
  • Dappled leaf shade on a face, coins of sun on one cheek Olive, peach, pale yellow. Paint the face in shade first, then press on the sun spots with a round brush.
  • Face striped by window blinds in bands of light and dark Cream, umber, tan. Bend each stripe over the nose and cheek so the bands follow the form.
  • Noon sun overhead, the eye sockets dark under the brow White, tan, umber, sky blue. Paint the top planes almost white and drop a shadow under the nose and lip.
  • Phone-screen glow in a dark room, blue on the brow and nose Pale blue, navy, black. Keep everything dark except the planes that face the screen.
  • Rainy bus window, gray light and running drops over a face Gray, blue gray, peach, white. Paint the face softly, let it dry, then pull drops down in watery white.
  • Reader beside a window, light on the forehead and page Cream, warm gray, ochre, slate. Paint the page as the brightest shape and the forehead one step below it.
  • Silhouetted profile on a sunset window, no features at all Orange, pink, black. Blend the sky first, let it dry, and fill the head in flat black.
  • Student over homework, desk-lamp glow under the chin Yellow, orange, navy, brown. Light the underside of the chin and nose and darken the top of the head.
  • Table lamp by the left ear, the right half lost in shade Cream, ochre, dark brown. Run one clean shadow edge down the forehead, nose and chin.

Faces in simple shapes 12

  • Face from five flat blocks: hair, brow, nose, cheek, jaw Brown, tan, peach, rose, cream. Paint each block a single color and leave a narrow gap between them.
  • Face in swab dots, darker dots where the shade falls Tan, brown, dark brown, cream. Press each dot with a cotton swab and crowd the dark ones under the brow.
  • Face split down the nose: one half painted, one half lined Black, peach, rose, blue. Finish the left half in color and leave the right as a brushed outline.
  • Faceless head and shoulders: hair, ears and collar only Mustard, black, tan, white. Paint the face as one empty oval and put the detail into hair and collar.
  • Grid of nine small heads, each in a different flat color Nine colors of your choice, white. Rule the grid, paint one plain head a square and vary only the hair.
  • Head as stacked ovals: bun, face, neck and shoulders Plum, peach, teal. Stack four ovals down the canvas and fill each flat in one color.
  • Head taped off in triangles, each filled with one color Six colors of your choice, white. Tape the triangles, fill them and peel the tape for white lines.
  • One brush line from ear to ear by way of brow and nose Black on a bright yellow ground. Load a round brush fully and do not lift it until the line ends.
  • Paper-doll face with features painted as flat stickers Peach, red, black, white, blue. Paint each eye and the mouth as a separate flat shape with its own border.
  • Row of sponge-stamped oval heads, hair added by brush Tan, brown, ochre, black. Stamp the ovals with a cut sponge and give every head a different haircut.
  • Square-brush face, every mark one press of a flat brush Ochre, sienna, umber, cream. Press the brush down and lift it; never drag, so each mark stays a tile.
  • Two-color poster face: one flat dark shape on bare canvas Navy, bare canvas. Paint only the shadows as one joined shape and let the canvas be the light.

How it works

A portrait can be full-length, half-length, head and shoulders or just the head. Most of these are heads: someone you know, in a set view, light or palette, with the colors named.

Read the full guide

Acrylic portrait painting ideas: big shapes first

Acrylic is fast-drying, so soft blending across a cheek has to be quick. Most canvases here avoid it: the head goes in as one shape and flat pieces go over it once dry. Head in three flat grays, each with a hard edge needs no blending at all.

Full face, profile or three-quarter view

A head can turn from full face to profile, and the three-quarter view sits between the two. Same sitter three times: full face, three-quarter, profile puts all three on one canvas. With the mouth at rest, much of an expression comes from the eyes and eyebrows.

  • Self-portraits have a list of their own, so none is here.

Questions and answers

What are good portrait painting ideas for beginners?

Easy first portraits, under More filters, holds 20. Silhouetted profile on a sunset window, no features at all is one flat shape, and Face in three steps of one blue: pale, middle, dark uses one tube and white.

Do painted portrait ideas need a sitter in the room?

No. The first group is family and friends from your own photos, such as Grandfather in a flat cap squinting into the sun. A photo keeps the pose and the light still for as long as the painting takes.

What are some creative portrait painting ideas?

Change one rule. Portrait in orange lights and blue shadows, no skin color drops natural color. Face striped by window blinds in bands of light and dark lets light draw the pattern. Faceless head and shoulders: hair, ears and collar only skips the features.

What goes behind the head in a portrait?

Anything from nothing to a room: a portrait background can be plain black or a full scene around the sitter. Strict profile on a flat teal ground, one eye showing keeps it to one flat color, so the head stays the subject.

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