plate no. 4347

Portrait of a Man

oil, temperaEarly Renaissanceportraitportraitmanprofileclothingheadwearface

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including accurate proportions and subtle value gradations to create form. It also provides practice in rendering textures and fabrics.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the head, hat, and shoulders, paying attention to proportions.
step 02
Establish the background with a thin wash of blue and green, creating a mottled texture.
step 03
Block in the main areas of color for the face, hat, and clothing.
step 04
Begin building up the values in the face, using subtle gradations to define the planes and features.
step 05
Refine the details of the hat, paying attention to its shape and form.
step 06
Work on the clothing, adding shadows and highlights to create depth and texture.
step 07
Add final details and highlights to the face, hat, and clothing.
step 08
Glaze the entire painting with thin layers of color to unify the composition and enhance the colors.

color palette

primary · yellow ochre · ultramarine blue · burnt sienna · ivory black

secondary · raw umber · titanium white · viridian green

Mix yellow ochre and burnt sienna with white for the skin tones, varying the ratios to create highlights and shadows. Use ultramarine blue and viridian green for the background, adding white to lighten the values. Mix burnt sienna and raw umber for the clothing, adding black for shadows.

techniques