plate no. 0936
Portrait of a young woman
Martin Schongauer, 1480
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including accurate proportions and subtle skin tone variations. It also provides practice in rendering fabric and jewelry details.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
2
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 15 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the head, headdress, and body.
- step 02
Establish the background with a dark, even tone.
- step 03
Block in the main colors of the skin, headdress, and clothing.
- step 04
Begin layering and blending the skin tones, paying attention to highlights and shadows.
- step 05
Refine the details of the headdress, including folds and textures.
- step 06
Develop the form of the clothing with subtle shading and highlights.
- step 07
Add the details of the jewelry and rosary.
- step 08
Make final adjustments to the overall composition and details.
color palette
primary · titanium white · alizarin crimson · raw umber
secondary · yellow ochre · ivory black · cadmium red
Skin tones are achieved by mixing white, crimson, umber, and a touch of yellow ochre. The dress color is a blend of crimson and umber, with white added for highlights. The headdress is primarily white with subtle umber and ochre shadows.
techniques
- ·portraiture
- ·glazing
- ·blending
- ·scumbling
- ·chiaroscuro
common pitfalls
- →Inaccurate proportions of the face and head.
- →Overly harsh or muddy skin tones.
- →Lack of detail in the headdress and clothing.
- →Ignoring subtle value changes.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·alizarin crimson oil paint
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·ivory black oil paint
- ·round brushes (sizes 2, 4, 6)
- ·linseed oil
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·medium gloss
- ·retouch varnish
Use high-quality oil paints for best results. Consider using a toned canvas to establish a mid-tone value.
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