Cheek

Materials and Preparation

• Use artist-quality oil paints, which have higher pigment quality than student-grade paints. Brands like Michael Harding, Old Holland, and Winsor and Newton are recommended.
• Prepare your support, such as a 5 or 6-mm thick piece of MDF, with acrylic gesso applied in thin layers and sanded between coats. A pure white ground can be used to create an underlying glow to the skin.

Understanding Fat Over Lean

• Ensure that each layer of paint has more oil than the preceding layer to prevent cracking. Start with a lean underpainting using turpentine or odourless mineral spirit (OMS) mixed with oil paint, and progress to fatter layers using linseed oil.

Drawing and Initial Layers

• Begin by creating a detailed line drawing of the facial features, including the cheek area, using a grid method and a mechanical pencil. This helps in achieving accuracy.
• Develop the lights and darks by adding reflected light along the edges and shadows to create depth. For the cheek, consider the curvature and how light falls on it.

Painting the Cheek

• Start with a lean underpainting using OMS or turpentine mixed with oil paint. Use a flat tone and a dry brush to achieve a soft effect.
• Once the underpainting is dry, transition to layers mixed with linseed oil, which will be more oil-rich and take longer to dry. This is crucial for building up layers without cracking.

Shading and Blending

• Focus on the patterns of light and dark on the cheek. Use a sphere as a reference to understand lifelike shading and facial curves. Add reflected light along the edges of the cheek and cast shadows where necessary.
• Blend the tones smoothly with a stump or tortillion to create a realistic transition from dark to light areas. Ensure that only the highlights remain as white as the paper.

Refining Details

• Use a smaller brush to add more detail, checking the drawing and adjusting any hard edges. Pay particular attention to the transition from the cheek to other facial features like the eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Step back from the painting periodically to squint and adjust any areas that need refinement. This helps in maintaining the overall balance and realism of the portrait.

Final Touches

• Give your eyes a break and come back to the painting after a short interval to make final tweaks. Leave the painting to dry overnight before making any further adjustments.

Additional Tips

• Lighting is crucial; observe how light interacts with the cheek in your reference image. Use this to guide your shading and highlighting.
• Keep in mind the skin texture and how it reflects light. The cheek area can be slightly shinier than other parts of the face, so adjust your highlights accordingly.