Painting as a form of art has been popular from time immemorial. Artists have painted landscapes, scenes, animals and objects. There are abstract paintings as well, which do not resemble any object or thing, but are a pleasure for the eyes. A painting may take hours, days or months to be completed, depending on the detail and scale in question. Since an artist invests a huge amount of time, he/she should choose the subject of his/her painting carefully.

Painting a portrait is probably the most difficult thing to paint. For one, portraits have to be very detailed. The facial expression, the spark in the eyes and the lines on the cheeks must be accurate. Even the wrinkles on the face or the frown on the forehead have to be made carefully. A portrait can be made from a photograph, from your memory or by the use of a sitter. Whatever the case may be, the painting must catch the emotion depicted by facial expression. Some portraits make you feel like you know the person. You may feel a sense of connection, even when you know there is none.

Here are some awesome portraits that I hope would inspire you: