Portrait of the Poet Vasily Maykov

approach — 8 steps

color palette

primary · titanium white · ivory black · cadmium red · viridian green

secondary · yellow ochre · burnt umber

Skin tones are achieved by mixing white, red, yellow ochre, and a touch of umber. Greens are created by mixing viridian green with yellow ochre and white. Use black sparingly to darken colors.

techniques

• ·portraiture
• ·blending
• ·glazing
• ·color mixing
• ·modeling

common pitfalls

• →Overmixing colors, leading to muddy tones.
• →Failing to establish accurate proportions in the initial sketch.
• →Using too much black, resulting in a flat, lifeless painting.
• →Ignoring subtle value shifts, making the form appear flat.