plate no. 1965

Smiling Head, Self-portrait

Walter Gramatté, 1923

etchingExpressionismself-portraitportraitfigureself-portraitfacehead

some experience helpful

Recreating this etching-style portrait will help students understand line work, shading techniques, and how to create form with minimal color variations. It also encourages simplification and abstraction of facial features.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 7 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the head, shoulders, and hair.
step 02
Define the main lines of the facial features, focusing on the geometric shapes.
step 03
Add hatching and cross-hatching to create shadows and volume.
step 04
Build up the background tone with short, directional strokes.
step 05
Refine the details of the face, paying attention to the expression.
step 06
Add final touches to the background to create a sense of depth.
step 07
Consider adding some texture to mimic the etching process.

color palette

primary · Prussian Blue · Titanium White

secondary · Raw Umber

Mix Prussian Blue with white to create the base tone. Add a touch of Raw Umber to darken the shadows and create a subtle variation in color.

techniques

·Hatching
·Cross-hatching
·Dry brushing
·Scumbling

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details and losing the simplified style.
→Creating too much contrast and losing the subtle tonal variations.
→Making the lines too uniform and losing the sense of texture.
→Not paying attention to the direction of the hatching, which affects the form.

materials

surface · Drawing paper (smooth or slightly textured)

required

·Graphite pencils (HB, 2B, 4B)
·Eraser
·Drawing paper (smooth or slightly textured)
·Blending stump or tortillon
·Ruler

optional

·Charcoal pencils
·Kneaded eraser
·Tracing paper

Experiment with different paper textures to achieve different effects. A smoother paper will allow for finer details, while a textured paper will create a more rough and textured look.

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