Portrait of an old woman reading

approach — 8 steps

color palette

primary · raw umber · ivory black · titanium white · yellow ochre

secondary · burnt sienna · alizarin crimson

Achieve the skin tones by mixing white, yellow ochre, and a touch of red. Use raw umber and black to create the dark tones in the background and clothing. Mix white with a touch of yellow ochre to create the light tones in the book.

techniques

• ·grisaille underpainting
• ·glazing
• ·scumbling
• ·blending
• ·chiaroscuro

common pitfalls

• →Getting the proportions wrong in the initial sketch.
• →Overworking the details before establishing the overall value structure.
• →Failing to capture the subtle value changes in the skin.
• →Making the background too bright or distracting.
• →Ignoring the importance of edges and transitions.