plate no. 5536

Portrait de François-Rupert Carabin

oilPost-Impressionismportraitportraitfiguremanclothinghairface

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students practice portraiture basics, including proportion and likeness, as well as color mixing for skin tones and creating a sense of depth with subtle value changes.

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 clothing.
step 02
Block in the main areas of color: background, skin, hair, clothing.
step 03
Refine the skin tones, paying attention to highlights and shadows on the face.
step 04
Add details to the hair, using short, directional brushstrokes.
step 05
Define the features of the face: eyes, nose, mouth.
step 06
Work on the clothing, adding folds and shadows to create depth.
step 07
Refine the background color and add any subtle variations.
step 08
Add the inscription in the top right corner.

color palette

primary · red · ivory black · titanium white · ultramarine blue

secondary · burnt umber · yellow ochre

Skin tones can be achieved by mixing white, red, yellow ochre, and a touch of burnt umber. The blue clothing is a mix of ultramarine blue and black. The background is a mix of red with small amounts of umber and white.

techniques