plate no. 8819
Portrait of Victor Goshkevich, the Founder of the Historic Aarchaeological Museum in Kherson
Viktor Vasnetsov, 1887
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering form with loose brushstrokes. It also provides practice in color mixing to achieve realistic skin tones and subtle value changes.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 12 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic proportions and pose of the figure.
- step 02
Block in the main areas of color: skin, hair/beard, clothing, and background.
- step 03
Start refining the skin tones, paying attention to highlights and shadows.
- step 04
Develop the beard and hair, using short, broken brushstrokes to create texture.
- step 05
Work on the clothing, focusing on the folds and shadows.
- step 06
Refine the background, blending the colors smoothly.
- step 07
Add details to the face, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth.
- step 08
Make final adjustments to the values and colors to create a cohesive and realistic portrait.
color palette
primary · raw umber · yellow ochre · titanium white · ivory black
secondary · burnt sienna · cadmium yellow · ultramarine blue
Mix skin tones by blending yellow ochre, raw umber, and titanium white. Use burnt sienna for warmer areas and a touch of ultramarine blue to cool down shadows. Darken colors with ivory black.
techniques
- ·portrait sketching
- ·color mixing
- ·broken brushstrokes
- ·value studies
- ·glazing
common pitfalls
- →Overmixing colors, resulting in muddy tones.
- →Focusing too much on details early on.
- →Ignoring the overall value structure.
- →Using too much paint and losing the texture
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·oil paints
- ·palette
- ·linseed oil
- ·turpentine
- ·assorted brushes
- ·palette knife
optional
- ·medium gloss
- ·painting easel
- ·rags
Use a medium-sized canvas (e.g., 16x20 inches) for this project. Consider using a toned canvas to simplify the initial blocking-in stage.
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