Portrait of John Wilkinson, The Staffordshire Iron Master, wearing a grey coat and waist

approach — 8 steps

color palette

primary · titanium white · ivory black · burnt umber · cadmium red

secondary · yellow ochre · ultramarine blue

Mix skin tones by blending white, red, yellow ochre, and a touch of umber. Darken shadows with burnt umber and black. Use ultramarine blue to cool down the skin tones and create subtle variations.

techniques

• ·portrait painting
• ·glazing
• ·blending
• ·value study
• ·color mixing

common pitfalls

• →Overmixing colors, resulting in muddy tones.
• →Ignoring the underlying structure of the face.
• →Failing to capture the likeness of the subject.
• →Using too much paint, leading to a thick and unnatural texture.