plate no. 0989
Portrait of Dines
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in subtle color mixing, blending, and capturing likeness in portraiture. It also provides practice in creating soft, diffused light and shadow.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
3
value contrast
2
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 10 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the head, shoulders, and features.
- step 02
Block in the background with a thin, diluted wash of neutral gray.
- step 03
Establish the main areas of light and shadow on the face and hair using a limited palette.
- step 04
Begin layering and blending colors to create smooth transitions and subtle variations in skin tone.
- step 05
Add details to the eyes, nose, and mouth, paying close attention to their shape and placement.
- step 06
Paint the hair, using short, broken brushstrokes to suggest texture and movement.
- step 07
Define the clothing with soft, diffused shadows and highlights.
- step 08
Refine the overall composition and add any final details.
color palette
primary · titanium white · yellow ochre · raw umber
secondary · ultramarine blue · burnt sienna · cadmium yellow
Mix white with small amounts of yellow ochre and raw umber for the skin tones. Use ultramarine blue and burnt sienna to create the dark bow. Add cadmium yellow to yellow ochre for brighter highlights in the hair.
techniques
- ·blending
- ·scumbling
- ·layering
- ·color mixing
- ·soft edges
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the painting and losing the soft, diffused effect.
- →Using colors that are too saturated or intense.
- →Failing to capture the subtle variations in skin tone.
- →Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·ultramarine blue oil paint
- ·burnt sienna oil paint
- ·round brushes (sizes 2, 4, 6)
- ·linseed oil
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·medium (e.g., Liquin)
- ·easel
Use a fine-grained canvas to achieve smooth blending. Consider using a medium to improve the flow of the paint.
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