Hashim Akib
Applying blocks of paint – as opposed to blending and layering – is a great way to begin streamlining your portrait painting technique. Making a few marks is also a good way to acclimatise to using a large flat-head brush. It may seem clumsy at first, but dexterity will come with practice. For a beginner this may go against the grain, as smaller brushes provide more control, but they will also inevitably restrict your arm movements, resulting in less expressive marks.
If you begin with refined detail, it’s extremely difficult to loosen up thereafter as your perception becomes fixed. Instead, begin big, moving your whole arm to find the overall shape with your largest marks. Next, turn to a medium brush and use pressure from your elbow to locate the main features; then end with your smallest brush and pressure just from your hand to add the final details.