plate no. 0628
Portrait
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, particularly capturing expression and using expressive brushstrokes to define form. It also provides practice in mixing skin tones and creating a sense of depth with value.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
4
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the head, hand, and headscarf.
- step 02
Block in the main areas of color with thin washes, focusing on the overall value structure.
- step 03
Start building up the darker values in the beard, eyes, and shadows on the face.
- step 04
Add highlights to the forehead, nose, and hand to create form.
- step 05
Refine the details of the eyes and mouth to capture the expression.
- step 06
Develop the texture of the headscarf with short, broken brushstrokes.
- step 07
Add the background colors, blending them loosely to create a soft effect.
- step 08
Make final adjustments to the values and details to complete the painting.
color palette
primary · burnt umber · raw sienna · titanium white
secondary · ultramarine blue · alizarin crimson · yellow ochre
Mix skin tones by blending burnt umber, raw sienna, and white. Use ultramarine blue and alizarin crimson to create the darker shadows and background hues. Add yellow ochre to warm up the skin tones.
techniques
- ·dry brush texture
- ·broken color
- ·value blocking
- ·expressive brushstrokes
- ·portraiture
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the details and losing the expressive quality.
- →Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
- →Creating muddy colors by overmixing.
- →Failing to capture the emotion in the eyes.
- →Not paying attention to the value structure.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·#6 round brush
- ·#4 filbert brush
- ·burnt umber oil paint
- ·raw sienna oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·palette
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil
- ·odorless mineral spirits
Use a medium-grain canvas for best results. Consider using a limited palette to simplify the color mixing process.
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