plate no. 6553

Portrait of Derenik Demirchyan

oil, canvasSymbolismportraitportraitfiguremountainslandscapeskysuit

experienced study

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, capturing likeness and expression, as well as landscape painting, specifically rendering atmospheric perspective and varied textures of rock and foliage. It also provides practice in color mixing to achieve subtle variations in light and shadow.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 20 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Begin with a light sketch outlining the main shapes: the figure, mountains, and sky.
step 02
Establish the basic color blocks for the sky, mountains, and figure, paying attention to the overall value structure.
step 03
Start refining the mountain details, using broken color and varied brushstrokes to suggest texture and form.
step 04
Develop the figure's form, focusing on accurate proportions and subtle tonal changes to create volume.
step 05
Add details to the face, paying close attention to the eyes, nose, and mouth to capture the likeness.
step 06
Work on the clothing, using thicker paint and bolder brushstrokes to create folds and shadows.
step 07
Refine the foreground elements, adding details to the grass and rocks.
step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to enhance the sense of depth and realism.

color palette

primary · ultramarine blue · yellow ochre · burnt umber · titanium white

secondary · cadmium red · viridian green · raw sienna

Achieve the mountain colors by mixing ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, and burnt umber with white. Use cadmium red and viridian green to create the greens in the landscape. Mix small amounts of red and blue with white for the skin tones.

techniques

·broken color
·scumbling
·alla prima
·glazing
·impasto

common pitfalls

→Getting the proportions of the figure wrong.
→Overworking the details and losing the freshness of the brushstrokes.
→Failing to capture the atmospheric perspective in the landscape.
→Using colors that are too saturated and unnatural.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas 18x24
·oil paints (ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, burnt umber, titanium white, cadmium red, viridian green, raw sienna)
·palette
·palette knife
·assorted brushes (round and flat)
·linseed oil
·turpentine
·rags