plate no. 7478

Self-portrait

oil, cardboardRealismself-portraitportraitmanclothinghairfacebackground

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, color mixing for skin tones, and creating depth through subtle value changes. It also provides practice in rendering textures like hair and fabric.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the head, shoulders, and clothing.
step 02
Establish the background color with a thin wash of green and brown tones.
step 03
Block in the main areas of color: skin, hair, shirt, and jacket.
step 04
Begin refining the skin tones, using subtle variations of pink, yellow, and brown.
step 05
Add details to the hair, using short, directional brushstrokes.
step 06
Define the features of the face, paying attention to the highlights and shadows.
step 07
Work on the clothing, adding details like the buttons and folds.
step 08
Refine the background, adding subtle variations in color and texture.

color palette

primary · titanium white · burnt umber · cadmium red · yellow ochre

secondary · viridian green · ultramarine blue

Skin tones are achieved by mixing white, yellow ochre, burnt umber, and a touch of cadmium red. The background is a mix of viridian green, burnt umber, and yellow ochre. The shirt is cadmium red with some burnt umber for shadows.

techniques