plate no. 0572

Portrait of Clara Serena Rubens

oil, canvasBaroqueportraitportraitchildfacehairclothingcollar

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, particularly in capturing subtle skin tones and creating soft, diffused lighting. It also offers practice in rendering fabric and achieving a sense of depth through value changes.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Create a light sketch of the child's face and collar, paying attention to proportions and placement.
step 02
Establish the background with a thin wash of muted gray-brown tones.
step 03
Block in the main areas of light and shadow on the face using a limited palette of earth tones and white.
step 04
Begin layering and blending the skin tones, gradually building up the highlights and shadows.
step 05
Define the features of the face, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth, with careful attention to detail.
step 06
Paint the collar using a combination of soft blending and visible brushstrokes to create texture.
step 07
Add details to the hair, using small brushstrokes to suggest individual strands.
step 08
Refine the overall composition and add any final touches.

color palette

primary · titanium white · raw umber · burnt sienna · yellow ochre

secondary · alizarin crimson · ultramarine blue

Achieve skin tones by mixing white, raw umber, burnt sienna, and a touch of yellow ochre. Use alizarin crimson for the cheeks and lips. Mix ultramarine blue with white and a touch of raw umber for the collar.

techniques

·blending
·scumbling
·glazing
·chiaroscuro
·portraiture

common pitfalls

→Overblending the skin tones, resulting in a flat and lifeless appearance.
→Failing to capture the subtle variations in skin tone, leading to an unnatural look.
→Neglecting the importance of light and shadow in defining the form of the face.
→Getting the proportions wrong, resulting in a distorted likeness.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas
·oil paints (titanium white, raw umber, burnt sienna, yellow ochre, alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue)
·linseed oil
·turpentine
·palette
·assorted brushes (round and flat)
·palette knife