plate no. 7753
Elizabeth Tuckerman Salisbury
Gilbert Stuart, 1811
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including accurate proportions, subtle skin tone blending, and rendering delicate fabrics and details.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
2
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 15 hrsapproach — 7 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure and background.
- step 02
Establish the overall value structure with a thin wash of neutral color.
- step 03
Begin building up the skin tones, focusing on subtle shifts in color and value.
- step 04
Paint the dress and shawl, paying attention to the folds and drapery.
- step 05
Add the details of the lace, jewelry, and hair.
- step 06
Refine the background and adjust the overall color balance.
- step 07
Add final highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.
color palette
primary · titanium white · raw umber · cadmium red light
secondary · ultramarine blue · yellow ochre · ivory black
Achieve skin tones by mixing white, red, and umber, with small amounts of blue or yellow for subtle variations. Use ultramarine blue and white for the dress.
techniques
- ·Blending
- ·Glazing
- ·Scumbling
- ·Layering
- ·Chiaroscuro
common pitfalls
- →Getting the proportions wrong
- →Overworking the skin tones
- →Making the colors too saturated
- →Losing the overall sense of light and shadow
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·Stretched canvas 16x20
- ·Titanium white oil paint
- ·Raw umber oil paint
- ·Cadmium red light oil paint
- ·Ultramarine blue oil paint
- ·Yellow ochre oil paint
- ·Ivory black oil paint
- ·Assorted round and flat brushes
optional
- ·Palette knife
- ·Linseed oil
- ·Odorless mineral spirits
Use high-quality oil paints for best results. A smooth canvas surface will help with blending.
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