plate no. 4251

Self-portrait

oilRococoself-portraitself-portraitfigurepaintingartisteaselclothing

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including accurate proportions, skin tone mixing, and rendering clothing folds. It also provides practice in depicting different textures and materials.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 20 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the main shapes: the artist's figure, the easel, and the painting he's holding.
step 02
Block in the main color areas: background, skin tones, clothing, and the painting within the painting.
step 03
Start refining the facial features, paying close attention to proportions and values.
step 04
Develop the details of the clothing, focusing on the highlights and shadows to create form.
step 05
Work on the painting within the painting, capturing the expression and drapery.
step 06
Add details to the easel and background, keeping them less defined than the figure.
step 07
Refine the edges and details throughout the painting.
step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.

color palette

primary · ivory black · yellow ochre · titanium white · raw umber

secondary · Prussian blue · cadmium yellow light · alizarin crimson

Skin tones are achieved by mixing yellow ochre, raw umber, titanium white, and small amounts of alizarin crimson. The black clothing is a mix of ivory black and raw umber. The blue in the painting is Prussian blue mixed with white.

techniques