plate no. 1508

Portrait of the French architect Jacques-Charles Bonnard

pencil, stump, paperRomanticismportraitportraitfiguremanprofileclothinghair

some experience helpful

Recreating this portrait will help students develop skills in shading, blending, and capturing subtle tonal variations to create form. It also provides practice in accurately rendering facial features in profile.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic outline of the head and shoulders, paying attention to proportions.
step 02
Establish the main light and shadow areas with light pencil strokes.
step 03
Use a blending stump to smooth out the initial shading and create a base tone.
step 04
Gradually build up darker values in the hair, clothing, and areas of shadow, using cross-hatching and layering.
step 05
Refine the facial features, paying close attention to the shape of the nose, lips, and eye.
step 06
Add highlights with a kneaded eraser to create contrast and dimension.
step 07
Soften edges where necessary with the blending stump.
step 08
Add final details and adjust values to achieve a balanced composition.