plate no. 0318
Portrait of a Young Man
Rogier van der Weyden, 1439
some experience helpful
Recreating this drawing will help students develop skills in cross-hatching, value shading, and accurately capturing human proportions and facial features. It also provides practice in rendering fabric and texture.
technical profile
palette complexity
1
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the overall proportions and pose of the figure.
- step 02
Refine the facial features, paying close attention to the angles and shapes.
- step 03
Begin adding layers of cross-hatching to establish the basic values and shadows.
- step 04
Focus on the clothing, using curved lines to indicate the folds and drapery.
- step 05
Add darker values in the deepest shadows to create contrast and depth.
- step 06
Refine the details of the hair and fur collar, using short, broken lines.
- step 07
Soften some edges with blending to create a more realistic effect.
- step 08
Add final highlights and details to complete the drawing.
color palette
primary · sepia · white
secondary · light grey
Varying the pressure and density of the pencil strokes creates different shades of grey.
techniques
- ·cross-hatching
- ·value shading
- ·contour drawing
- ·blending
- ·rendering texture
common pitfalls
- →Failing to accurately capture the proportions of the face and body.
- →Creating overly harsh or uniform shading.
- →Losing the sense of form and volume in the clothing.
- →Overworking the drawing and losing the freshness of the sketch.
materials
surface · smooth drawing paper
required
- ·sketch paper
- ·graphite pencils (HB, 2B, 4B)
- ·kneaded eraser
- ·blending stump
- ·ruler
- ·pencil sharpener
optional
- ·tortillon
- ·chamois cloth
- ·fixative spray
Use a variety of pencils to achieve a full range of values. A kneaded eraser is helpful for lifting graphite and creating highlights.
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