plate no. 8556

Sir Edward Langton Iliffe

Graham Sutherland, 1976

oilExpressionismportraitportraitfiguremansuithandbackground

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, particularly in capturing likeness and modeling form with subtle value changes. It also provides practice in rendering fabric and skin tones with visible brushstrokes.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure, focusing on the head, hand, and torso.
step 02
Establish the background color with a thin wash of burnt sienna and raw umber.
step 03
Block in the main areas of the face, using a mix of white, yellow ochre, and a touch of red for the skin tones.
step 04
Begin to model the form of the face, adding shadows and highlights with darker and lighter values of the skin tone mixture.
step 05
Paint the suit and tie, using a mix of black, blue, and brown for the suit, and reds, oranges, and yellows for the tie.
step 06
Refine the details of the face, paying attention to the eyes, nose, and mouth.
step 07
Add the highlights and shadows to the hand, using a similar color palette to the face.
step 08
Make final adjustments to the overall composition, ensuring that the values and colors are balanced.

color palette

primary · burnt sienna · raw umber · titanium white · yellow ochre

secondary · black · cadmium red · ultramarine blue

Achieve skin tones by mixing white, yellow ochre, and a touch of red. Darken these tones with burnt umber and blue. The suit is primarily black mixed with blue and umber to add depth.

techniques

·portraiture
·modeling form
·visible brushstrokes
·color mixing
·glazing

common pitfalls

→Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
→Overworking the painting and losing the freshness of the brushstrokes.
→Using too much black and making the painting look muddy.
→Failing to capture the likeness of the subject.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·Stretched canvas 16x20
·Oil paints: burnt sienna, raw umber, titanium white, yellow ochre, black, cadmium red, ultramarine blue
·Assorted brushes (round and flat)
·Palette
·Linseed oil
·Odorless mineral spirits
·Palette knife
·Rags or paper towels