plate no. 5934
Portrait of Irina Zakolodkina
Zinaida Serebriakova, 1943
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering skin tones. It also provides practice in color mixing and blending to achieve subtle variations in light and shadow.
technical profile
palette complexity
4
brushwork visibility
3
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 15 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure and background.
- step 02
Establish the overall value structure with a thin wash of neutral color.
- step 03
Block in the main areas of color, focusing on accurate color matching.
- step 04
Begin building up layers of paint, blending edges and refining shapes.
- step 05
Pay close attention to the subtle variations in skin tone and facial features.
- step 06
Add details to the clothing and hair, capturing the texture and form.
- step 07
Refine the background, ensuring it complements the figure.
- step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.
color palette
primary · titanium white · ivory black · yellow ochre · cadmium red
secondary · ultramarine blue · alizarin crimson · burnt umber
Achieve skin tones by mixing white, yellow ochre, and cadmium red, with small amounts of blue or umber for shadows. Use ultramarine and alizarin crimson to create the purples in the vest.
techniques
- ·portraiture
- ·color mixing
- ·blending
- ·layering
- ·scumbling
common pitfalls
- →Getting the proportions wrong in the initial sketch.
- →Overworking the paint and losing the freshness of the brushstrokes.
- →Failing to capture the subtle variations in skin tone.
- →Ignoring the importance of the background in creating a sense of depth.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·oil paints
- ·palette
- ·palette knife
- ·assorted brushes
- ·linseed oil
- ·turpentine
- ·rags
optional
- ·medium gloss
- ·retouch varnish
- ·easel
Use a medium-grain canvas for best results. Consider using a limited palette of colors to simplify the mixing process.
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