plate no. 3123

Portrait of Lord Alfred Tennyson

oil, canvasRealismportraitportraitfigurebeardclothingmanface

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and creating realistic skin tones. It also provides practice in rendering fabrics and textures with oil paints.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 20 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure and background.
step 02
Establish the overall value structure with a thin wash of burnt umber.
step 03
Block in the main areas of color: skin tones, clothing, and background.
step 04
Refine the skin tones, paying attention to subtle variations in color and value.
step 05
Develop the details of the beard and hair, using small, broken brushstrokes.
step 06
Render the folds and textures of the clothing, using highlights and shadows.
step 07
Adjust the background to create depth and atmosphere.
step 08
Add final details and highlights to complete the painting.

color palette

primary · burnt umber · titanium white · yellow ochre · ivory black

secondary · cadmium red · viridian green

Mix skin tones using white, yellow ochre, burnt umber, and a touch of red. Achieve the dark greens of the clothing by mixing black, viridian green, and burnt umber.

techniques

·portraiture
·glazing
·scumbling
·chiaroscuro
·alla prima

common pitfalls

→Getting the proportions wrong in the initial sketch.
→Overworking the skin tones and losing the freshness of the paint.
→Failing to capture the likeness of the subject.
→Creating a flat, lifeless background.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas
·oil paints (burnt umber, titanium white, yellow ochre, ivory black, cadmium red, viridian green)
·linseed oil
·turpentine
·palette
·assorted brushes (round and flat)
·palette knife