plate no. 5570

A Portrait of Lev Lagorio

Apollinary Goravsky, 1900

oilRomanticismportraitportraitfiguremanchairclothingfacial hair

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering realistic skin tones. It also provides practice in creating subtle gradations of value to model forms.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 20 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Create a light sketch of the figure's proportions and pose on the canvas.
step 02
Block in the main areas of color: background, clothing, skin, and hair.
step 03
Begin refining the background, focusing on subtle value changes.
step 04
Develop the shadows and highlights on the face, paying attention to the bone structure.
step 05
Work on the details of the clothing, chair, and accessories.
step 06
Refine the hair and beard, using small brushstrokes to create texture.
step 07
Add final highlights and details to the face and hands.
step 08
Glaze with thin layers to unify the colors and add depth.

color palette

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

secondary · yellow ochre · cadmium red light · ultramarine blue

Mix skin tones using white, sienna, and a touch of red. Use black and umber for darks, and white with a touch of yellow ochre for highlights. The background is primarily mixed from umber and sienna.

techniques