plate no. 8936

A Portrait Of A Young Man

oilRomanticismportraitportraitfiguremanclothinghairface

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering skin tones. It also provides practice in depicting fabric and hair with subtle variations in light and shadow.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the head, shoulders, and clothing.
step 02
Establish the background with a thin wash of muted earth tones.
step 03
Block in the main areas of light and shadow on the face, using a limited palette of skin tones.
step 04
Refine the facial features, paying close attention to the shapes of the eyes, nose, and mouth.
step 05
Develop the hair, using short, broken brushstrokes to create texture and volume.
step 06
Paint the clothing, focusing on the folds and highlights in the fabric.
step 07
Add details such as the jewelry and any subtle variations in color.
step 08
Glaze to unify the painting and adjust values as needed.

color palette

primary · ivory black · raw umber · titanium white · burnt sienna

secondary · yellow ochre · cadmium red light

Mix skin tones by blending white, raw umber, burnt sienna, and a touch of red and yellow. Use ivory black and raw umber for the dark clothing and background.

techniques

·portraiture
·blending
·scumbling
·glazing
·chiaroscuro

common pitfalls

→Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
→Overworking the details too early in the process.
→Using too much color in the skin tones.
→Failing to capture the subtle variations in light and shadow.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas
·oil paints (ivory black, raw umber, burnt sienna, titanium white, yellow ochre, cadmium red light)
·linseed oil
·turpentine or odorless mineral spirits
·palette
·assorted brushes (round and flat)
·palette knife