Portrait of Mrs. Kern Dodge (Helen Peterson Greene)

approach — 8 steps

color palette

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

secondary · burnt sienna · alizarin crimson · ultramarine blue

Achieve skin tones by mixing white, yellow ochre, and a touch of red and umber. Use ivory black and raw umber to create the dark background. Mix white with small amounts of umber and sienna to create the off-white color of the dress.

techniques

• ·grisaille underpainting
• ·scumbling
• ·chiaroscuro
• ·portraiture
• ·glazing

common pitfalls

• →Overworking the details too early in the process.
• →Failing to capture the correct proportions of the face.
• →Creating muddy or dull colors by overmixing.
• →Ignoring the subtle shifts in value that create form.