plate no. 0884
Portrait of Jan de Leeuw
Jan van Eyck, 1436
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including accurate proportions, subtle skin tone variations, and rendering realistic textures. It also provides practice in creating depth and form using chiaroscuro.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
2
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 20 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Create a preliminary sketch to establish the proportions and composition.
- step 02
Block in the main shapes and values using thin washes of color.
- step 03
Begin building up the skin tones, focusing on subtle shifts in color and value.
- step 04
Define the features of the face, paying close attention to the eyes, nose, and mouth.
- step 05
Render the clothing and background, using darker values to create contrast.
- step 06
Add details such as the ring and the texture of the skin.
- step 07
Refine the painting, making adjustments to the values and colors as needed.
- step 08
Add final glazes to unify the painting and enhance the colors.
color palette
primary · ivory black · raw umber · burnt sienna · titanium white
secondary · yellow ochre · cadmium red light
Mix skin tones by combining white, burnt sienna, raw umber, and a touch of yellow ochre and red. Use ivory black and raw umber for the dark background and clothing.
techniques
- ·glazing
- ·scumbling
- ·chiaroscuro
- ·portraiture
- ·blending
common pitfalls
- →Overmixing colors, resulting in muddy tones.
- →Failing to establish accurate proportions in the initial sketch.
- →Using too much paint, obscuring the underlayers.
- →Ignoring subtle shifts in value and color.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·ivory black oil paint
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·burnt sienna oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·cadmium red light oil paint
- ·assorted round and flat brushes
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil
- ·damar varnish
Use high-quality oil paints for best results. Consider using a toned canvas to simplify the initial stages of painting.
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