plate no. 6994

Portrait of Roman Selsky

Margit Selska, 1960

oilPost-Impressionismportraitportraitfiguremanclothingfacehead

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, color mixing for skin tones, and capturing likeness through expressive brushstrokes. It also provides practice in simplifying complex patterns and textures.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the head, shoulders, and clothing.
step 02
Block in the background with a thin wash of color, focusing on the overall tone.
step 03
Establish the main areas of light and shadow on the face using a limited palette of skin tones.
step 04
Begin to define the features of the face, paying attention to the angles and relationships between them.
step 05
Add details to the clothing, simplifying the pattern and focusing on the overall shapes and values.
step 06
Refine the edges and contours of the figure, softening or sharpening them as needed.
step 07
Add highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.
step 08
Make final adjustments to the colors and values to achieve a cohesive and expressive portrait.

color palette

primary · yellow ochre · burnt sienna · titanium white · alizarin crimson

secondary · ultramarine blue · violet · gray

Mix skin tones by blending yellow ochre, burnt sienna, alizarin crimson, and titanium white. Use ultramarine blue and alizarin crimson to create violet shades for the clothing and shadows. Add white to lighten and create variations.

techniques

·alla prima
·broken color
·scumbling
·color mixing
·portraiture

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details and losing the freshness of the brushstrokes.
→Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
→Using colors that are too saturated or unnatural.
→Failing to capture the likeness of the subject.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·Stretched canvas (12x16 inches)
·Oil paints (yellow ochre, burnt sienna, titanium white, alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue)
·Palette
·Palette knife
·Assorted brushes (round and flat)
·Odorless mineral spirits
·Linseed oil