plate no. 3385

A Prelate

oil, canvasMannerism (Late Renaissance)portraitportraitfigurebookclothingfurbackground

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering realistic skin tones, as well as understanding light and shadow to create depth and form.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 20 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure, book, and background.
step 02
Establish the main areas of light and shadow with thin washes of color.
step 03
Begin building up the skin tones, using subtle color variations to create form.
step 04
Define the details of the face, paying attention to the eyes, nose, and mouth.
step 05
Work on the clothing, rendering the folds and textures with careful brushstrokes.
step 06
Paint the fur collar, using small, broken strokes to create a sense of texture.
step 07
Add details to the book and the table.
step 08
Refine the background, blending the colors to create a sense of depth.

color palette

primary · raw umber · ivory black · titanium white · yellow ochre

secondary · burnt sienna · ultramarine blue · cadmium red light

Achieve skin tones by mixing white, yellow ochre, and a touch of red. Use raw umber and black for dark areas, and add white for highlights. Mix ultramarine blue with raw umber to create the dark background.

techniques

·portraiture
·chiaroscuro
·glazing
·blending
·scumbling

common pitfalls

→Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
→Overworking the skin tones and making them look muddy.
→Failing to create a sense of depth in the background.
→Not capturing the texture of the fur.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas 18x24
·oil paints (raw umber, ivory black, titanium white, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, cadmium red light)
·linseed oil
·turpentine or odorless mineral spirits
·palette
·assorted brushes (round, flat, filbert)
·palette knife
·rags