plate no. 7531

Rembrandt Peale

oilRomanticismportraitportraitfiguremanclothinghairglasses

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering skin tones. It will also provide practice in blending and creating soft transitions between values.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the head, shoulders, and clothing.
step 02
Establish the overall value structure with a thin wash of burnt umber or a similar earth tone.
step 03
Begin blocking in the main areas of color, focusing on the skin tones, hair, and clothing.
step 04
Refine the skin tones by layering and blending different shades of pink, yellow, and brown.
step 05
Add details to the face, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth, paying close attention to their placement and proportions.
step 06
Develop the hair by using small, broken brushstrokes to create texture and volume.
step 07
Refine the clothing and background, adding subtle details and shadows.
step 08
Add final highlights and details to complete the painting.

color palette

primary · titanium white · raw umber · burnt sienna · ivory black

secondary · cadmium yellow · alizarin crimson

Mix skin tones by blending white, raw umber, burnt sienna, and small amounts of cadmium yellow and alizarin crimson. Use ivory black to create shadows and darker tones.

techniques

·portraiture
·blending
·layering
·scumbling
·value control

common pitfalls

→Getting the proportions wrong in the initial sketch.
→Overworking the skin tones and losing the subtle variations in color.
→Making the shadows too dark or the highlights too bright.
→Failing to capture the likeness of the subject.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

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