plate no. 4170

Self-Portrait in Woodcut

Konrad Zuse, 1946

woodcutExpressionismself-portraitportraitmanglassesfacehairself-portrait

some experience helpful

This painting is a great exercise in understanding value relationships and creating form with line work. Students will learn to simplify complex shapes into basic forms and use hatching and cross-hatching to create depth and shadow.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Create a light sketch of the portrait's basic shapes and proportions.
step 02
Identify the areas of darkest value and begin filling them in with solid black.
step 03
Use hatching and cross-hatching techniques to build up the mid-tones, varying the density of lines to create different values.
step 04
Pay close attention to the direction of the lines, using them to follow the contours of the face and create a sense of form.
step 05
Add details such as the glasses and hair, using fine lines to capture their texture.
step 06
Refine the values and details, adding more layers of hatching and cross-hatching as needed.
step 07
Check the overall balance of values and make any necessary adjustments.
step 08
Add the signature in the bottom right corner.

color palette

primary · black · white

secondary ·

This image uses only black and white, so there is no color mixing involved. The illusion of different values is created through the density and spacing of lines.

techniques