plate no. 0453

Jesus

pencil, ink, paperContemporary Realismreligious paintingportraitfigurereligiousfacehairbeard

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portrait sketching, including proportion and shading, as well as layering different drawing media for depth and texture. It also encourages expressive mark-making and capturing a likeness with limited color.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 6 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the head, face, and hair using a pencil.
step 02
Establish the main proportions and placement of features (eyes, nose, mouth).
step 03
Begin adding layers of color with red/brown pencil, focusing on shadow areas and mid-tones.
step 04
Use black pencil to define darker areas like the hair, beard, and outlines.
step 05
Blend some areas to soften edges, but leave visible strokes for texture.
step 06
Add highlights with a lighter-toned pencil or eraser.
step 07
Refine the details of the eyes and mouth to capture the expression.
step 08
Add background texture with light strokes of red/brown pencil.

color palette

primary · burnt sienna · black · white

secondary · red · light blue

The skin tones are achieved by layering burnt sienna and red, with white for highlights. Vary the pressure and layering to create depth and dimension.

techniques

·hatching
·cross-hatching
·layering
·blending
·expressive linework

common pitfalls

→Overworking the blending, which can flatten the image.
→Getting the proportions wrong in the initial sketch.
→Using too much black too early, which can make the drawing look muddy.
→Ignoring the subtle variations in skin tone.

materials

surface · toned paper

required

·Sketch paper
·Red colored pencil
·Burnt sienna colored pencil
·Black colored pencil
·White colored pencil or eraser
·Pencil (HB or 2B)
·Kneaded eraser

optional

·Blending stump
·Fixative spray

Using toned paper can help to establish the mid-tones and make the highlights pop. Experiment with different paper textures to achieve different effects.

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