plate no. 0326
Queen Eleanor of Austria
Mabuse, 1516
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including accurate proportions and subtle skin tone variations. It also provides practice in rendering fabric textures and details.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
2
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 20 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Create a light sketch of the figure's proportions and pose.
- step 02
Block in the main areas of color: skin, hair, background, and clothing.
- step 03
Begin layering skin tones, focusing on subtle shifts in value and hue.
- step 04
Develop the details of the face, paying close attention to the eyes, nose, and mouth.
- step 05
Work on the clothing, rendering the fabric folds and patterns.
- step 06
Add details to the jewelry and headwear.
- step 07
Refine the background and adjust values as needed.
- step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to create depth.
color palette
primary · ivory black · raw umber · titanium white · cadmium red light
secondary · yellow ochre · gold · payne's gray
Mix skin tones by blending white, red, and a touch of yellow ochre. Use raw umber and ivory black to create the dark background. Mix gold with yellow ochre, raw umber, and a touch of white.
techniques
- ·glazing
- ·scumbling
- ·blending
- ·layering
- ·portraiture
common pitfalls
- →Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
- →Overworking the skin tones and creating a muddy effect.
- →Failing to capture the subtle details of the clothing and jewelry.
- →Not creating enough depth in the background.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·oil paints
- ·assorted brushes (small round, flat)
- ·palette
- ·linseed oil
- ·turpentine
- ·palette knife
- ·soft cloth
optional
- ·medium gloss
- ·retouch varnish
Use high-quality oil paints for best results. A smooth canvas surface will aid in blending.
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