Portrait of a Man, Berlin

approach — 8 steps

color palette

primary · ultramarine blue · cadmium red · yellow ochre · ivory black

secondary · titanium white · viridian green · burnt sienna

Mix various shades of skin tones by combining yellow ochre, cadmium red, and titanium white. Use ultramarine blue and ivory black to create the dark tones of the suit. Mix viridian green with yellow ochre and white for the eye color.

techniques

• ·blocking in
• ·color mixing
• ·expressive brushstrokes
• ·planar analysis
• ·color temperature

common pitfalls

• →Over-blending the colors, resulting in a muddy appearance.
• →Getting the proportions wrong in the initial sketch.
• →Ignoring the subtle color variations within each area.
• →Being too timid with the brushstrokes.
• →Not paying attention to the overall value structure.