plate no. 3937

Mary with the Child

woodNorthern Renaissancereligious paintingfigurereligiousportraitchildcrowndrapery

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including accurate proportions and subtle skin tone variations, as well as understanding how to create depth with value changes.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 20 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of Mary and the child, paying attention to their relative sizes and positions.
step 02
Establish the background with a dark, even tone.
step 03
Block in the main colors of Mary's robe, the child's skin, and the apple, focusing on broad areas of color.
step 04
Begin to refine the forms by adding shadows and highlights, gradually building up the volume of the figures.
step 05
Work on the details of Mary's face, paying close attention to the eyes, nose, and mouth.
step 06
Add the details of the crown, carefully rendering the jewels and metalwork.
step 07
Refine the drapery folds in Mary's robe, using subtle value changes to create depth.
step 08
Add the final details, such as the necklace on the child and the highlights on the apple.

color palette

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

secondary · cadmium red · yellow ochre · gold

Skin tones are achieved by mixing white, red ochre, and a touch of raw umber. Reds are muted with black and umber. Gold is created by mixing yellow ochre with touches of red and brown.

techniques

·glazing
·scumbling
·chiaroscuro
·portraiture
·blending

common pitfalls

→Getting the proportions of the figures wrong.
→Overworking the details too early in the process.
→Using colors that are too bright or saturated.
→Failing to create a sense of depth and volume.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

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