plate no. 0202

John MacWhirter

oilRomanticismportraitportraitmanbeardhairfaceoval

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, color mixing for skin tones, and creating texture with brushstrokes. It also provides practice in capturing likeness and creating a sense of depth.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic oval shape and the placement of the head and shoulders.
step 02
Lightly sketch the main features of the face: eyes, nose, mouth, and beard.
step 03
Block in the background with a dark, neutral color.
step 04
Begin layering in the mid-tones of the skin, using a mix of warm and cool colors.
step 05
Add highlights to the face and hair, focusing on areas where light hits.
step 06
Develop the beard with short, textured brushstrokes, using a variety of browns and reds.
step 07
Refine the details of the eyes and mouth to capture the subject's expression.
step 08
Add final touches and adjust values to create a sense of depth and realism.

color palette

primary · burnt umber · raw sienna · titanium white · cadmium red

secondary · ultramarine blue · yellow ochre

Achieve skin tones by mixing burnt umber, raw sienna, cadmium red, and titanium white. Use small amounts of ultramarine blue to cool down the tones. For the beard, mix various shades of brown and red, adding touches of yellow ochre for highlights.

techniques