plate no. 5757

Henry William Greville (1801–1872)

oilRococoportraitportraitfiguremanclothinghairface

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, particularly in capturing likeness and rendering realistic skin tones and clothing folds. It also provides practice in creating depth and form using subtle value changes.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Create a light sketch of the figure's proportions and pose on the canvas.
step 02
Block in the main areas of color: skin, hair, clothing, and background.
step 03
Start refining the skin tones, paying attention to highlights and shadows.
step 04
Develop the details of the face, focusing on the eyes, nose, and mouth.
step 05
Work on the clothing, rendering the folds and textures.
step 06
Refine the hair, adding highlights and shadows to create volume.
step 07
Adjust the background to create depth and contrast.
step 08
Add final details and highlights to complete the painting.

color palette

primary · ivory black · titanium white · raw umber · cadmium red

secondary · yellow ochre · ultramarine blue

Mix skin tones using white, raw umber, yellow ochre, and a touch of red. Create darks by mixing black and umber. Use ultramarine blue to cool down shadows.

techniques

·portraiture
·value studies
·blending
·layering
·scumbling

common pitfalls

→Overworking the skin tones and losing the freshness of the paint.
→Failing to capture the likeness of the subject.
→Creating muddy colors by overmixing.
→Ignoring the subtle value changes that create form.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas (16x20 inches)
·oil paints (ivory black, titanium white, raw umber, cadmium red, yellow ochre, ultramarine blue)
·palette
·assorted brushes (round and flat)
·linseed oil
·turpentine
·palette knife