plate no. 9010

Portrait of Laurits Andersen Ring

oilRealismportraitportraitfiguremanclothinghairface

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, particularly in capturing likeness and rendering subtle tonal variations in skin tones. It also provides practice in creating depth and form using light and shadow.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Create a light sketch of the portrait, focusing on proportions and placement of features.
step 02
Block in the main areas of color: skin, hair, clothing, and background.
step 03
Start building up the skin tones, using thin layers of paint and blending carefully.
step 04
Define the facial features, paying close attention to the highlights and shadows.
step 05
Work on the hair, creating texture and volume with short, directional brushstrokes.
step 06
Refine the clothing and background, adding details and adjusting values.
step 07
Add final highlights and details to the face and hair.
step 08
Check proportions and make final adjustments.

color palette

primary · yellow ochre · burnt umber · titanium white

secondary · ultramarine blue · cadmium red

Skin tones are achieved by mixing yellow ochre, burnt umber, and titanium white, with small amounts of cadmium red for warmth and ultramarine blue for cool shadows. The background is primarily burnt umber with subtle variations.

techniques

·portraiture
·layering
·blending
·chiaroscuro
·tonal painting

common pitfalls

→Getting the proportions wrong in the initial sketch.
→Overworking the skin tones and losing the subtle variations.
→Making the background too light or too dark.
→Failing to capture the likeness of the subject.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas 16x20
·oil paints: yellow ochre, burnt umber, titanium white, ultramarine blue, cadmium red
·linseed oil
·turpentine or odorless mineral spirits
·assorted brushes (round and flat)
·palette

optional