plate no. 4626
Poet Ercilla y Zuniga by El Greco
El Greco, 1595
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering realistic skin tones. It will also provide practice in depicting textures like fabric and foliage.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
3
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 15 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Create a light sketch outlining the basic shapes and proportions of the figure, wreath, and ruff.
- step 02
Establish the background with a thin layer of dark brown paint.
- step 03
Block in the main areas of the face with mid-tones, paying attention to the light and shadow.
- step 04
Begin layering and blending colors to refine the skin tones, focusing on subtle variations.
- step 05
Paint the beard and hair, using short, directional strokes to create texture.
- step 06
Render the ruff with careful attention to the folds and highlights.
- step 07
Paint the laurel wreath, varying the greens and adding highlights to the leaves.
- step 08
Add final details and highlights to the face, clothing, and wreath.
color palette
primary · raw umber · yellow ochre · titanium white · ivory black
secondary · cadmium yellow · viridian green · burnt sienna
Skin tones are achieved by mixing yellow ochre, raw umber, and white, with small amounts of burnt sienna for warmth and ivory black for shadows. Greens are created by mixing viridian green with yellow and white.
techniques
- ·portraiture
- ·glazing
- ·scumbling
- ·chiaroscuro
- ·blending
common pitfalls
- →Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
- →Over-blending the skin tones, resulting in a flat appearance.
- →Failing to capture the subtle variations in color and value.
- →Making the ruff look too stiff or uniform.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·ivory black oil paint
- ·round brushes (various sizes)
- ·linseed oil
- ·palette
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·medium gloss
- ·burnt sienna oil paint
Use high-quality oil paints for best results. Consider using a toned canvas to create a warmer base.
tips & new artworks in your inbox
no spam — unsubscribe anytime.
or to save artworks, chat, and track progress
in this vein
related artworks
Apollo and the Muses (Parnassus)
Lavinia Fontana
Portrait Of Don Rodrigo Vasquez
El Greco
Madonna Bolognini
Correggio
The Unhappy Lot of the Rich
Maerten van Heemskerck
Head of a Woman
Orazio Gentileschi
The Deposition
Giorgio Vasari
Portrait of a Man Holding a Letter
Francesco de' Rossi (Francesco Salviati), "Cecchino"
Portrait of the Physician Carlo Fontana
Bartolomeo Passerotti