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How to Pose a Model

The elementary principles of how to pose a model in oil painting to follow to establish a good model pose on the oil painter's canvas are as follows:

Basic principle of how to pose a model in oil painting #1:

To achieve a good model pose, make the oil painting model's head appear as close to life size as possible, anywhere from seven inches to eleven inches. On an oil paint canvas that is larger than 12" x 16", measure the oil paint model's head with a ruler and record that size on the oil paint canvas.

In oil painting, making the oil paint model's head appear life size is very practical because in doing so, the oil paint artist immediately begin a semblance of a natural likeness. Making the oil paint model's head large than life is hard to accept as real and making the oil painting model's head smaller than life can only look ok when everything else on the oil painting canvas is also small in proportion.

Basic principle of how to pose a model in oil painting #2:

The second elementary principle of how to pose a model in oil painting concerns the placement of the oil paint model's head on the oil paint canvas. When placing the oil paint model's head on the canvas, the chin of the oil paint model should not be lower than the middle of the oil painting canvas from top to bottom.

This is especially true in oil painting when oil painting on an oil paint canvas that is approximately 20" x 24". When working on a smaller oil paint canvas, the oil paint model's chin will be lower than one half of the canvas since a smaller oil paint canvas does not necessarily mean reducing the size of the head from life size.

The head of the oil paint model will be higher on the canvas when the oil painter include more in the pose than just the head and shoulders of the oil paint model.

Basic principle of how to pose a model in oil painting #3:

The ideal position for oil painting of the head side to side is to place the pit of the eyes that is closer to the oil paint artist's point of view in the middle of the oil panting canvas no matter what size the oil paint canvas is. This position only applies to the standard pose that is slightly less than full face.

Basic principle of how to pose a model in oil painting #4:

The head of thee oil paint model should not face in the same direction as the body is facing. The pose of the oil paint model can range from dramatic to ordinary in oil painting. The choice depends on the oil painting model's personality.

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