Helena Fourment with her Son Francis

approach — 8 steps

color palette

primary · ivory black · burnt umber · titanium white · cadmium red light

secondary · yellow ochre · ultramarine blue · raw sienna

Achieve skin tones by mixing white, red, yellow ochre, and a touch of burnt umber. Create shadows by adding ultramarine blue and burnt umber to the skin tone mixture. Use thin glazes to build up color and depth.

techniques

• ·glazing
• ·scumbling
• ·chiaroscuro
• ·portraiture
• ·drapery rendering

common pitfalls

• →Overworking the skin tones, resulting in a flat or lifeless appearance.
• →Failing to accurately capture the proportions and anatomy of the figures.
• →Neglecting the importance of light and shadow in creating form and depth.
• →Using colors that are too saturated, resulting in an unnatural or garish effect.