plate no. 7850
Portrait of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Bernard Van Orley, 1516
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including accurate proportions and subtle skin tone variations, as well as rendering textures like fur and fabric.
technical profile
palette complexity
4
brushwork visibility
3
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 20 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure, focusing on the head, shoulders, and hand.
- step 02
Establish the background color with a thin wash of green and brown.
- step 03
Block in the main areas of color: skin tones, hair, hat, clothing, and fur.
- step 04
Begin refining the skin tones, layering subtle shades of pink, yellow, and brown to create a realistic effect.
- step 05
Add details to the clothing, including the gold chain, white collar, and red sleeves.
- step 06
Render the fur collar with short, broken brushstrokes to create a sense of texture.
- step 07
Paint the hat, paying attention to the details of the embellishments.
- step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.
color palette
primary · titanium white · burnt umber · yellow ochre · cadmium red
secondary · ultramarine blue · ivory black · gold
Mix skin tones by combining white, yellow ochre, and small amounts of red and umber. Use ultramarine and umber to create muted greens for the background. Achieve gold tones by mixing yellow ochre with burnt umber and a touch of red.
techniques
- ·portraiture
- ·glazing
- ·scumbling
- ·chiaroscuro
- ·rendering fur
common pitfalls
- →Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
- →Overworking the skin tones and making them look muddy.
- →Failing to create a sense of depth and dimension.
- →Not capturing the subtle details of the clothing and jewelry.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·oil paints
- ·palette
- ·assorted brushes (round and flat)
- ·linseed oil
- ·turpentine
- ·palette knife
- ·rags
optional
- ·medium gloss
- ·retouch varnish
- ·easel
Use high-quality oil paints for best results. A medium-grain canvas will provide a good surface for layering paint.
tips & new artworks in your inbox
no spam — unsubscribe anytime.
or to save artworks, chat, and track progress
in this vein
related artworks
Aristotle
Justus van Gent
The Man of Sorrows with the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist
Martin Schongauer
The pride of the beggar sitting on the train of haughtiness
Albrecht Altdorfer
Adoration of the Magi
Quentin Matsys
Christ on the Cross
Albrecht Altdorfer
Frühling - Das Bereiten Der Blumenbeete
Pieter Brueghel the Younger
Group of Men
Rogier van der Weyden
Madonna and Child Holding a Pear
Bernard Van Orley