Portrait of Brigadier Michael Dmitrievich Buturlin

approach — 8 steps

color palette

primary · ivory black · raw umber · titanium white · cadmium red light

secondary · ultramarine blue · yellow ochre · payne's gray

Mix skin tones by blending white, red, and yellow ochre, adding small amounts of umber for shadows. Achieve the dark blue of the coat by mixing ultramarine blue with ivory black. Use white to create highlights and lighter shades.

techniques

• ·portraiture
• ·blending
• ·layering
• ·glazing
• ·scumbling

common pitfalls

• →Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
• →Overworking the details too early in the process.
• →Making the skin tones look flat or unnatural.
• →Failing to capture the texture of the clothing.