plate no. 3775
Getuţa
Octav Angheluta, 1945
some experience helpful
This painting provides a good opportunity to practice portraiture basics and color mixing for skin tones. Students can also learn to create soft textures using visible brushstrokes.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Sketch the basic shapes of the head, hat, scarf, and coat.
- step 02
Establish the background color with a thin wash of warm brown.
- step 03
Block in the main areas of color: skin, hair, hat, scarf, and coat.
- step 04
Begin refining the skin tones, paying attention to subtle color variations.
- step 05
Add details to the hat and scarf, focusing on texture and highlights.
- step 06
Develop the coat, adding shadows and highlights to create form.
- step 07
Refine the facial features, paying attention to proportions and expression.
- step 08
Add final touches and details, such as the red flower on the hat.
color palette
primary · titanium white · yellow ochre · burnt sienna · raw umber
secondary · cadmium red light · ultramarine blue
Mix skin tones using white, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, and a touch of red. Use raw umber to create shadows and depth. Add a touch of blue to neutralize colors.
techniques
- ·alla prima
- ·broken color
- ·scumbling
- ·color mixing
- ·portraiture
common pitfalls
- →Overmixing colors and creating muddy tones.
- →Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
- →Not paying attention to subtle color variations in the skin.
- →Making the brushstrokes too uniform and losing texture.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas 12x16
- ·#4 round brush
- ·#6 filbert brush
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·burnt sienna oil paint
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·palette
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil
- ·odorless mineral spirits
Use a medium-tooth canvas for best results. Consider using a limited palette to simplify the color mixing process.
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