Portrait of Semen Ivanovich Mordvinov as Chevalier of the Order of St. Andrew

approach — 8 steps

color palette

primary · titanium white · ivory black · burnt umber · cadmium red

secondary · yellow ochre · ultramarine blue · viridian

Achieve skin tones by mixing white, red, yellow ochre, and a touch of umber. Dark greens are created with black, umber, and viridian.

techniques

• ·portraiture
• ·glazing
• ·scumbling
• ·blending
• ·rendering

common pitfalls

• →Getting the proportions wrong
• →Oversimplifying the skin tones
• →Failing to capture the likeness of the subject
• →Getting lost in the details too early
• →Not paying attention to the value contrast