plate no. 2631

Portrait of the Young Ingres

oil, canvasNeoclassicismportraitportraitfiguremanclothinghairface

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portrait painting, including capturing likeness, rendering skin tones, and creating subtle gradations of light and shadow. It also provides practice in painting textures, such as hair and fabric.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Create a light sketch of the figure's proportions and pose.
step 02
Establish the background with a thin wash of dark brown.
step 03
Block in the main shapes of the face, hair, and clothing using mid-tones.
step 04
Begin layering and blending skin tones, focusing on the light and shadow areas.
step 05
Add details to the hair, using short, broken brushstrokes.
step 06
Refine the clothing, paying attention to the folds and textures.
step 07
Paint the scarf with its distinctive pattern.
step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.

color palette

primary · burnt umber · raw sienna · titanium white · cadmium red light

secondary · ivory black · yellow ochre · alizarin crimson

Mix skin tones by blending white, red, yellow ochre, and a touch of umber. Use umber and black for shadows, and add white for highlights. The scarf pattern is achieved with a mix of yellow ochre, burnt sienna, and touches of red.

techniques

·portrait painting
·glazing
·scumbling
·blending
·chiaroscuro

common pitfalls

→Overworking the skin tones, resulting in a muddy appearance.
→Failing to accurately capture the likeness of the subject.
→Ignoring the subtle gradations of light and shadow.
→Getting the proportions wrong in the initial sketch.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas (16x20 inches)
·oil paints (burnt umber, raw sienna, titanium white, cadmium red light, ivory black, yellow ochre, alizarin crimson)
·linseed oil
·odorless mineral spirits
·assorted brushes (round and flat)
·palette
·palette knife
·rags