Portrait of a girl (Maria Maxmiliana)

approach — 8 steps

color palette

primary · titanium white · burnt umber · yellow ochre · cadmium red

secondary · ivory black · ultramarine blue

Achieve skin tones by mixing white, yellow ochre, and a touch of red. Use burnt umber and black for shadows. Add small amounts of blue to cool down the skin tones.

techniques

• ·glazing
• ·scumbling
• ·blending
• ·chiaroscuro
• ·portraiture

common pitfalls

• →Overblending the skin tones, resulting in a flat, lifeless appearance.
• →Using too much black, making the shadows appear muddy.
• →Ignoring the subtle color variations in the skin.
• →Failing to capture the likeness of the subject.