Peter Keegan is an oil painter and the cohost of the art advice podcast, Ask an Artist. He specialises in portraiture, seeking to capture not just the likeness of his sitters, but also their spirit and character. In this Artist Insights film, he shares his knowledge about portrait painting, the ancient and modern colours he uses in his palette, and how he builds a relationship with his subject.

0:00 Introduction
0:40 “For me, it’s always been paint”
1:51 “I enjoy leaning into colours that are not found in the face at all”
2:27 “I decided to make my palette myself”
3:30 “Simplify the complexity of the face”
4:25 “Paint should be good enough to not add any mediums to it”
4:47 “I love paintings that have an almost an unfinished quality”
5:13 “I’m working in simple, strong structural shapes”
6:23 “Look at a scene in terms of its tonal values”
6:57 “I always paint with my glasses off”
8:08 “I love to see how my hand has moved across the canvas”
9:11 “Get to know the subject”
9:33 “I don’t try to get something 100% right at the very beginning”
10:41 “The relationship between the artist and the sitter”
11:22 “Take a step back”
12:00 “Adopt the ‘phone a friend’ technique”
12:39 “Filbert brushes allow me to be precise but also gestural”
13:31 “I have what I call ‘guest colours’”
14:01 “Artist quality paints are full of joy and richness”
14:32 “Give the face just a little more structure”
15:10 “Art has always been part of me and what I do”
15:32 “Defining the darker parts of the portrait”
16:14 “Paintings are never fixed or finite”
16:45 “I realised that art was something that I could have a career in”
17:19 “Make every stroke count”
18:18 “Going to a museum is like going to the doctors”
18:55 “I take as much enjoyment in looking at other people’s paintings”
19:33 “The way I hold the brush is such an important thing”
20:19 “When things don’t go according to plan I’m okay with that”
21:02 “As I move towards lighter values I use the paint a little thicker”
21:54 “Selfportraiture is a wonderful learning experience”
23:00 “Diversity in a picture will make it so much more compelling”
24:21 “When I lean too heavily on photography the paintings look a little stifled”
24:50 “Knock back parts of the painting that have become too busy”
25:22 “Final small lines and marks”
25:53 “The most exciting part of starting any painting is the beginning”
27:52 Credits

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Watch Our Interview with Peter Keegan and Tom Shepherd from Ask an Artist Podcast:    • In Conversation with Peter Keegan and...