plate no. 6062
Portrait of Teresina
Jean-Victor Schnetz, 1824
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering skin tones. It also provides practice in depicting fabric and textures.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
3
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 15 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the head, shoulders, and headwear.
- step 02
Establish the main light and shadow areas on the face and clothing with thin washes of color.
- step 03
Begin building up the skin tones, paying close attention to subtle variations in color and value.
- step 04
Refine the details of the eyes, nose, and mouth, focusing on capturing the likeness of the subject.
- step 05
Paint the headwear, carefully rendering the stripes and folds of the fabric.
- step 06
Add details like the earring and the trim on the clothing.
- step 07
Adjust the background color to create a sense of depth.
- step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to enhance the form and create a sense of realism.
color palette
primary · burnt sienna · titanium white · yellow ochre · ivory black
secondary · ultramarine blue · cadmium red light
Mix skin tones using burnt sienna, yellow ochre, titanium white, and small amounts of cadmium red light and ultramarine blue. Use ivory black to create shadows and darken colors.
techniques
- ·portraiture
- ·glazing
- ·scumbling
- ·blending
- ·color mixing
common pitfalls
- →Overblending skin tones, resulting in a flat, lifeless appearance.
- →Failing to accurately capture the proportions of the face.
- →Ignoring subtle color variations in the skin.
- →Getting the values wrong, leading to a lack of depth and form.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·burnt sienna oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·ivory black oil paint
- ·#2 round brush
- ·#6 flat brush
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil
- ·turpentine
Use a medium-grain canvas for best results. Consider using a limited palette to simplify the color mixing process.
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