plate no. 9717
Portrait of a Miniature Painter (Joachim Sandrart?)
Karel Škréta, 1640
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering realistic skin tones and fabric textures. It also provides practice in creating subtle tonal variations and soft edges.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
3
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 12 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure, paying attention to the head, shoulders, and hands.
- step 02
Establish the overall tonal values with a thin wash of burnt umber or a similar earth tone.
- step 03
Begin building up the skin tones, starting with the mid-tones and gradually adding highlights and shadows.
- step 04
Paint the hair, using a variety of browns and blacks to create depth and texture.
- step 05
Render the clothing, paying attention to the folds and highlights.
- step 06
Add details to the face, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth.
- step 07
Refine the edges and blend the colors to create a soft, realistic effect.
- step 08
Add final highlights and details to complete the painting.
color palette
primary · burnt umber · titanium white · raw sienna
secondary · cadmium red · ivory black
Mix skin tones by blending burnt umber, raw sienna, and titanium white. Add a touch of cadmium red for warmth. Use ivory black to darken shadows.
techniques
- ·portraiture
- ·glazing
- ·blending
- ·tonal painting
- ·scumbling
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the painting and losing the freshness of the initial sketch.
- →Using too much detail and creating a stiff, unnatural effect.
- →Failing to capture the likeness of the subject.
- →Not paying enough attention to the tonal values.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·burnt umber oil paint
- ·raw sienna oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·ivory black oil paint
- ·cadmium red oil paint
- ·#4 round brush
- ·#6 flat brush
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil
- ·medium gloss
Use a medium-grain canvas for best results. Consider using a limited palette of earth tones to capture the muted colors of the original painting.
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