plate no. 8386
Estudio de El Greco
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in capturing form with loose brushstrokes and understanding how to use a limited palette to create depth and dimension. It also provides practice in portraiture and rendering fabric.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic figure proportions and pose on the canvas.
- step 02
Block in the background with a thin layer of dark brown.
- step 03
Establish the main light and shadow areas on the figure using a mid-tone base color.
- step 04
Begin adding highlights and shadows to the face, focusing on the planes of the face.
- step 05
Develop the folds and drapery of the robe, paying attention to how light interacts with the fabric.
- step 06
Refine the details of the hands and the object held, using smaller brushstrokes.
- step 07
Add final touches and adjust values to create a sense of depth and atmosphere.
- step 08
Glaze with thin layers of color to unify the painting.
color palette
primary · raw umber · titanium white · yellow ochre
secondary · ultramarine blue · burnt sienna
Mix raw umber and white for the base tones. Use yellow ochre and white for highlights. Add small amounts of ultramarine blue to raw umber for shadows. Burnt sienna can be used to warm up the skin tones.
techniques
- ·dry brushing
- ·scumbling
- ·color mixing
- ·layering
- ·alla prima
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the details too early.
- →Using too much paint and losing the loose, expressive quality.
- →Not paying attention to the underlying structure of the figure.
- →Getting the proportions wrong in the initial sketch.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·ultramarine blue oil paint
- ·burnt sienna oil paint
- ·round brushes (various sizes)
- ·linseed oil
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·painting medium
- ·easel
Use a medium-grit canvas for better texture. Consider using a fast-drying medium to speed up the drying time.
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