Portrait of Lorenzo Hervas y Panduro

A man in three-quarter view fills an oval format, positioned slightly toward the left. Strong, directional light from the upper left saturates his face and right hand in warm gold tones, creating immediate visual focus there—his hand holds a pale quill suspended above a book below. The background is warm ochre, darkening dramatically toward the edges in a pronounced vignette, making the lit face and hand pop against deep shadow. The seated figure wears dark clothing and a cream clerical collar, anchoring the composition with cool notes amid pervasive warmth.

The lightest values concentrate on the face (forehead, cheeks) and the hand holding the pen—both deliberately isolated by shadow. Mid-tones dominate the transition zones: the collar, the front of the coat, and the book pages. The darkest darks form a complete frame—the shadowed side of the face, the entire coat, and the vignette background—creating an inverted egg-shape of shadow. Squint and you see: bright face + bright hand + dark oval frame, with the coat as a dark wedge pulling the eye down.

• #b78407

  yellow ochre + cadmium red + titanium white

  the illuminated face, forehead, and right cheek

• #7c5105

  yellow ochre + burnt umber + ultramarine blue

  the shadowed side of the face and neck, creating warm undertone to the shadow

• #512f03

  ultramarine blue + burnt umber + ivory black

  the coat, creating deep shadow mass

• #241203

  ivory black + burnt umber

  the vignette background and deepest shadows

• #e8d77f

  yellow ochre + titanium white + cadmium yellow

  the hand holding the pen, most saturated point in the painting

• #f5f5dc

  titanium white + touch of yellow ochre

  the clerical collar

Edges are consistently soft throughout—blended rather than linear. The face shows seamless transitions between lit and shadow planes with no hard boundary lines. The collar edge is slightly more defined but still painterly. Brushwork remains controlled and mostly invisible, with visible strokes only in the loose background and the book pages, where Kauffman allows the paint to sit more openly without blending.

1. 01

   Establish the oval and lay in the vignette

   Lightly sketch the oval proportions—taller than wide. Block in the background: wash warm ochre across the entire canvas, then immediately introduce the deep brown-black into the outer edges, leaving the center lighter. Let this dry. The vignette should be clearly darker at the edges by 50% of a tone value or more.

2. 02

   Map the head and body proportions

   Within the oval, establish the head position (slightly left of center) and the basic shoulders. The face should occupy roughly one-quarter of the oval's height. Mark the eye line and the angle of the shoulders turning to three-quarter view.

3. 03

   Lay in the coat as a dark mass

   Block in the coat with your darkest mixture—ultramarine + burnt umber. Don't worry about details; establish it as a cohesive dark shape that anchors the figure and contrasts with the light background. The collar line should already suggest the neck edge.

4. 04

   Establish the face's light structure

   Paint the illuminated side of the face with mid-warm ochre (yellow ochre + white). This is your foundation. Keep the lit side warm and unified—forehead, cheek, and nose bridge should read as one lit plane. Don't add shadow yet; establish the light first.

5. 05

   Build the shadow side and neck

   Using yellow ochre + burnt umber + a touch of ultramarine, model the shadow side of the face and the neck. This shadow should be warm, not cool—it sits in the light's glow, not in cold shade. Blend this into the lit side carefully, creating soft transitions with no hard edges.

6. 06

   Refine facial features and add the collar

   With a fine round brush, place the eyes, nose, and mouth using darker ochre (ochre + ultramarine). Eyes should be small and dark; the nose warm-toned. Paint the collar in cream (white + touch of ochre), letting it sit crisply against the dark coat and warm face.

7. 07

   Paint the hand and pen holding focal point

   The hand holding the pen is the brightest, most saturated element—almost pure yellow ochre with cadmium red, minimal white. Paint it boldly. The pen itself is pale cream. The book beneath is a warm reddish-brown. This hand should glow and immediately draw the eye.

8. 08

   Unify and deepen the vignette

   Darken the background vignette further, pushing it back with deeper browns and blacks. Soften all edges where the head meets the background. Step back frequently to ensure the figure reads clearly against the darkened frame and that the light on the face and hand remains the dominant visual anchor.

• Making the shadow side of the face too cool or purple—it must remain warm ochre or it will read as sickly rather than modeled. The shadow is in warm light, not cool shade.
• Softening the hand or pen edges too much—these need to read crisply against the background despite their soft outer edge. Keep them luminous and distinct.
• Neglecting the vignette depth—if the background doesn't darken enough toward the edges, the composition loses its oval integrity and the face loses its focal power.
• Over-blending the face until it reads as featureless—leave enough local variation so features are readable, even if edges stay soft. The eyes, nose, and mouth must be present.

beginner friendliness

value contrast

palette complexity

compositional simplicity

brushwork visibility