plate no. 5449

Irene Mary & The Cosmical Cometan

David Young, 2020

paintRealismreligious paintingfiguresreligiousstarshaloclothingportraits

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, color mixing for skin tones, and creating a sense of depth through layering and brushwork. It also provides practice in rendering different textures, such as fabric and hair.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on proportions and placement of the figures.
step 02
Block in the background with a base layer of purple, adding subtle variations in tone.
step 03
Roughly paint the main shapes of the figures, establishing the basic colors and values.
step 04
Begin refining the skin tones, mixing colors carefully and layering to create depth.
step 05
Add details to the clothing, paying attention to folds and textures.
step 06
Paint the hair and facial features, focusing on capturing the likeness of the subjects.
step 07
Add the halos and stars, using lighter colors to create a glowing effect.
step 08
Make final adjustments to the colors, values, and details to complete the painting.

color palette

primary · purple · blue · skin tones · white

secondary · gold · black · brown · yellow

Achieve skin tones by mixing white, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, and a touch of red. The purple background can be created by mixing ultramarine blue and alizarin crimson, with white added for highlights.

techniques