plate no. 5178

Self Portrait with Apple

Cuno Amiet, 1903

oilArt Nouveau (Modern)self-portraitportraitmanappletreeslandscapebeard

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in color mixing for skin tones and capturing the impressionistic style through visible brushstrokes. It also provides practice in portraiture and rendering depth in a landscape.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes of the portrait and landscape, paying attention to proportions.
step 02
Establish the background by layering greens and blues for the trees and grass.
step 03
Block in the main areas of the face and beard with base colors.
step 04
Begin adding highlights and shadows to the face to create form.
step 05
Develop the details of the beard using short, directional brushstrokes.
step 06
Paint the apple, focusing on the color variations and highlights.
step 07
Refine the details of the clothing and background.
step 08
Add final touches and adjust colors as needed.

color palette

primary · titanium white · yellow ochre · ultramarine blue · alizarin crimson

secondary · viridian green · burnt umber · cadmium yellow

Skin tones can be achieved by mixing yellow ochre, alizarin crimson, and titanium white. Greens are created by mixing ultramarine blue and cadmium yellow, with variations achieved by adding white or burnt umber.

techniques