plate no. 5628
Self Portrait
Charles Conder, 1900
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students understand color temperature and how to mix skin tones. It will also provide practice in capturing likeness and creating form with visible brushstrokes.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 10 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the head, shoulders, and background.
- step 02
Block in the main areas of color: skin, hair, clothing, and sky.
- step 03
Begin refining the skin tones, paying attention to highlights and shadows.
- step 04
Add details to the face, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth.
- step 05
Work on the clothing, capturing the folds and textures with visible brushstrokes.
- step 06
Refine the background, blending the colors to create a soft, atmospheric effect.
- step 07
Add final details and highlights to complete the painting.
- step 08
Let dry and varnish.
color palette
primary · titanium white · burnt umber · yellow ochre
secondary · ultramarine blue · cadmium red light · ivory black
Mix skin tones using white, yellow ochre, and burnt umber, adding small amounts of red or blue to adjust the temperature. Use ultramarine blue and white to create the sky, adding touches of yellow ochre for warmth.
techniques
- ·alla prima
- ·color mixing
- ·broken color
- ·scumbling
common pitfalls
- →Overblending skin tones, resulting in a flat, lifeless appearance.
- →Getting proportions wrong in the initial sketch.
- →Using too much detail too early in the process.
- →Ignoring subtle color variations in the skin and background.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·oil paints
- ·#4 round brush
- ·#8 flat brush
- ·palette
- ·linseed oil
- ·turpentine
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·medium gloss
- ·easel
Use a medium-sized canvas to allow for sufficient detail. Consider using a toned canvas to speed up the painting process.
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