plate no. 0878
Seated bearded man
Roger de La Fresnaye, 1910
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in figure drawing, understanding light and shadow on skin tones, and using expressive brushstrokes to convey form and texture.
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: background, figure, and stool.
- step 03
Start defining the light and shadow on the figure, focusing on the planes of the body.
- step 04
Develop the background with loose, vertical brushstrokes.
- step 05
Refine the details of the face, hands, and feet.
- step 06
Add highlights and shadows to the stool to create form.
- step 07
Adjust the overall color harmony and value relationships.
- step 08
Add final details and refine edges.
color palette
primary · raw umber · titanium white · viridian green
secondary · cadmium red light · yellow ochre
Skin tones are achieved by mixing raw umber, titanium white, and small amounts of cadmium red light and yellow ochre. The background green is a mix of viridian green and raw umber, lightened with white.
techniques
- ·blocking in
- ·scumbling
- ·dry brush
- ·color mixing
- ·figure drawing
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the skin tones and losing the freshness of the brushstrokes.
- →Getting the proportions of the figure wrong.
- →Not paying attention to the light and shadow.
- →Using too much detail in the background.
- →Not capturing the mood of the painting.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·viridian green oil paint
- ·cadmium red light oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·#6 flat brush
- ·palette
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil
- ·odorless mineral spirits
- ·easel
Use a medium-textured canvas to allow for expressive brushstrokes. Consider using a limited palette to simplify color mixing.
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