plate no. 8368
Portrait of Leon Bakst
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, color mixing for skin tones, and creating simplified forms with expressive brushstrokes. It also provides practice in capturing a likeness with minimal detail.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the head, shoulders, and facial features using a pencil or thin brush with diluted paint.
- step 02
Block in the background with a mix of blues, browns, and grays, varying the tones slightly.
- step 03
Apply a base layer of skin tone to the face, neck, and ears, using a mix of white, yellow ochre, and a touch of red.
- step 04
Add shadows and highlights to the face to define the form, using darker and lighter variations of the skin tone mix.
- step 05
Paint the scarf with a mix of blues and purples, adding highlights and shadows to create depth.
- step 06
Block in the clothing with black, adding the peach colored details.
- step 07
Refine the facial features, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth, with thin lines and subtle shading.
- step 08
Add final details and adjust colors as needed to match the original painting.
color palette
primary · titanium white · yellow ochre · burnt sienna · ultramarine blue
secondary · ivory black · cadmium red light
Skin tones are achieved by mixing white, yellow ochre, and a touch of red. Vary the proportions to create highlights and shadows. The blue scarf is a mix of ultramarine blue and a touch of black.
techniques
- ·color mixing
- ·blocking in
- ·dry brush texture
- ·simplified forms
- ·expressive brushstrokes
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the details and losing the simplified, expressive style.
- →Using colors straight from the tube without mixing.
- →Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
- →Making the skin tones too uniform and flat.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·burnt sienna oil paint
- ·ultramarine blue oil paint
- ·ivory black oil paint
- ·round brushes size 2-6
- ·palette
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil
- ·odorless mineral spirits
- ·easel
Use a medium-grain canvas for best results. Oil paints can be thinned with linseed oil or odorless mineral spirits.
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