plate no. 1013
African
Konstantin Makovsky, 1882
experienced study
Students would develop crucial skills in mixing warm and cool skin tones, understanding facial proportions and features, and painting fabric with varying light reflection properties.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
3
value contrast
4
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 12 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Begin with a careful drawing establishing correct facial proportions and features
- step 02
Block in the basic shapes with mid-tone values for skin and clothing
- step 03
Establish the light source and map out shadow patterns on the face and neck
- step 04
Mix base skin tones using warm browns, ochres, and subtle cool undertones
- step 05
Paint the red fabric with bold strokes, varying the intensity based on light and shadow
- step 06
Refine facial features, paying careful attention to eye placement and expression
- step 07
Add highlights to create form and dimension, especially on the face and fabric
- step 08
Final details including teeth, eye catchlights, and texture refinements
color palette
primary · burnt umber · raw umber · cadmium red · titanium white
secondary · yellow ochre · raw sienna · ultramarine blue · alizarin crimson
Create rich skin tones by mixing warm browns with touches of red and yellow, add cool undertones with small amounts of blue or purple in shadow areas
techniques
- ·color temperature variation
- ·form modeling with value
- ·fabric rendering
- ·facial feature accuracy
- ·portrait proportions
common pitfalls
- →Making skin tones too uniform in temperature
- →Overworking facial features
- →Not observing subtle color variations in shadows
- →Painting fabric too flat without volume
materials
surface · stretched canvas or canvas board
required
- ·#4 flat brush
- ·#2 round brush
- ·#6 filbert brush
- ·burnt umber oil paint
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·cadmium red oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·stretched canvas 16x20
optional
- ·palette knife for mixing
- ·#1 liner brush for details
- ·medium for blending
- ·ultramarine blue for cool tones
Portrait work requires good lighting and comfortable positioning for extended painting sessions
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