plate no. 3372

Self-Portrait (PH-382)

Clyfford Still, 1940

oilExpressionismself-portraitportraitfigureartistself-portraitclothingcanvas

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and creating depth through value and color. It also provides practice in loose, expressive brushwork and color mixing for skin tones.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure and background.
step 02
Establish the overall value structure with thin washes of color, focusing on the light and shadow patterns.
step 03
Begin building up the skin tones, mixing a range of warm and cool colors.
step 04
Define the features of the face, paying close attention to the subtle variations in value and color.
step 05
Paint the dark clothing, using thicker paint and bolder brushstrokes.
step 06
Develop the background with loose, gestural strokes, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere.
step 07
Add final details and highlights to the face and hands.
step 08
Refine the edges and blend areas as needed to achieve a cohesive and expressive portrait.

color palette

primary · raw umber · titanium white · burnt sienna

secondary · ultramarine blue · yellow ochre · cadmium red

Achieve skin tones by mixing white, burnt sienna, and small amounts of red, yellow ochre, and blue. Use raw umber and white for the darker areas of the clothing and background. Add ultramarine blue to raw umber for deeper shadows.

techniques

·portraiture
·color mixing
·expressive brushwork
·value study
·layering

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details and losing the expressive quality of the brushstrokes.
→Failing to capture the subtle variations in skin tone, resulting in a flat or lifeless portrait.
→Getting the proportions wrong, leading to an inaccurate likeness.
→Not establishing a strong value structure early on, making it difficult to create depth and form.