plate no. 8752
Selfportrait
Eugène Jansson, 1910
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, color mixing for skin tones, and creating subtle value transitions to model form. It also provides practice in capturing likeness and conveying a sense of personality.
technical profile
palette complexity
4
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 12 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the head and shoulders.
- step 02
Block in the main areas of color: skin, hair, clothing, and background.
- step 03
Start building up the skin tones, focusing on the subtle variations in color and value.
- step 04
Refine the facial features, paying close attention to the eyes, nose, and mouth.
- step 05
Add details to the hair and clothing, using small brushstrokes to create texture.
- step 06
Adjust the values and colors to create a sense of depth and dimension.
- step 07
Add highlights and shadows to enhance the form.
- step 08
Finalize the details and make any necessary adjustments.
color palette
primary · titanium white · burnt umber · yellow ochre · cadmium red
secondary · ultramarine blue · ivory black
Achieve skin tones by mixing white, yellow ochre, burnt umber, and a touch of red. Use blue and black sparingly to create shadows and cool tones.
techniques
- ·portraiture
- ·color mixing
- ·blending
- ·scumbling
- ·layering
common pitfalls
- →Overmixing colors, resulting in muddy tones.
- →Ignoring the subtle value changes in the skin.
- →Getting the proportions wrong.
- →Overworking the painting.
- →Not capturing the likeness of the subject.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·burnt umber oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·cadmium red oil paint
- ·#2 round brush
- ·#6 flat brush
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil
- ·turpentine
Use a medium-grain canvas for best results. Consider using a limited palette to simplify the color mixing process.
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