plate no. 4264
Portrait of Baudouin de Lannoy
Jan van Eyck, 1435
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including accurate proportions and subtle value gradations for realistic skin tones. It also offers practice in rendering fine details, such as the chain and clothing patterns.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
2
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 20 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Prepare a toned canvas with a mid-tone brown.
- step 02
Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the head, hat, and body, paying attention to proportions.
- step 03
Block in the darkest areas of the background and clothing with a dark brown.
- step 04
Begin layering the skin tones, starting with mid-tones and gradually adding highlights and shadows.
- step 05
Carefully render the details of the face, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth.
- step 06
Paint the hat and clothing, focusing on the folds and textures.
- step 07
Add the details of the chain and any other decorative elements.
- step 08
Refine the painting by adjusting values and adding final details.
color palette
primary · burnt umber · raw sienna · titanium white
secondary · yellow ochre · ivory black
Achieve skin tones by mixing raw sienna, burnt umber, and titanium white. Use yellow ochre for highlights and ivory black for shadows. Mix dark browns from burnt umber and ivory black.
techniques
- ·glazing
- ·scumbling
- ·chiaroscuro
- ·portraiture
- ·layering
common pitfalls
- →Getting the proportions wrong in the initial sketch.
- →Overworking the skin tones and losing the subtle gradations.
- →Making the background too light, which will flatten the image.
- →Failing to capture the likeness of the subject.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·burnt umber oil paint
- ·raw sienna oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·ivory black oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·round brushes (sizes 0, 2, 4)
- ·linseed oil
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·medium gloss
- ·odorless mineral spirits
Use high-quality oil paints for best results. A smooth canvas surface is recommended for achieving fine details.
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