plate no. 5315

Portrait

oilContemporary Realismportraitportraitfiguremanclothingface

some experience helpful

Recreating this portrait will help students develop skills in color mixing for skin tones and understanding subtle value changes to create form. It also provides practice in capturing likeness and basic portrait composition.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the head, shoulders, and facial features.
step 02
Block in the background with a neutral tone.
step 03
Establish the main shadow shapes on the face using a mid-tone mixture.
step 04
Begin layering lighter skin tones on the highlighted areas, blending carefully.
step 05
Refine the details of the eyes, nose, and mouth, paying attention to subtle value shifts.
step 06
Add details to the hair, using short, broken strokes to suggest texture.
step 07
Paint the clothing, focusing on the collar and tie.
step 08
Make final adjustments to values and edges to refine the portrait.

color palette

primary · titanium white · burnt umber · yellow ochre

secondary · cadmium red light · ultramarine blue

Skin tones are achieved by mixing white, umber, ochre, and small amounts of red and blue. Use more umber for shadows and more red/ochre for highlights.

techniques