plate no. 4406

Portrait of An Old Man

oilEarly Renaissanceportraitportraitmanhatclothingface

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering realistic skin tones, as well as understanding subtle value changes to create form.

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 and proportions of the head, hat, and shoulders.
step 02
Block in the background with a thin wash of blue and green.
step 03
Establish the main light and shadow areas on the face and clothing using a mid-tone brown.
step 04
Gradually build up the darker shadows with darker browns and blacks, paying attention to the wrinkles and folds.
step 05
Add highlights to the face, hat, and clothing using lighter shades of yellow and white.
step 06
Refine the details of the eyes, nose, and mouth, focusing on capturing the character of the subject.
step 07
Add subtle color variations to the skin tones, such as reds and purples.
step 08
Glaze thin layers of color to unify the painting and create a sense of depth.

color palette

primary · yellow ochre · burnt umber · titanium white

secondary · ultramarine blue · raw sienna · ivory black

Mix yellow ochre and burnt umber for the skin tones, adding white for highlights and black for shadows. Use ultramarine blue and a touch of burnt umber to create the background color. Mix raw sienna with white for the hat.

techniques