plate no. 8339

St. Jerome

canvas, temperaEarly Renaissancereligious paintingfigurebookhatrobereligioushalo

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, color mixing to achieve subtle skin tones, and rendering drapery with simple folds. It also provides practice in creating a decorative background pattern.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the overall composition, paying attention to the proportions of the figure and the placement of the book.
step 02
Block in the main areas of color: the red robe and hat, the flesh tones, the book, and the background.
step 03
Begin to refine the skin tones by layering thin washes of color, gradually building up the highlights and shadows.
step 04
Work on the drapery of the robe, using darker shades of red to define the folds and creases.
step 05
Paint the book, paying attention to the details of the binding and pages.
step 06
Create the decorative background pattern using a fine brush and diluted paint.
step 07
Add final details, such as the facial features, the hands, and the small dots that appear on the figure and background.
step 08
Glaze with thin layers to unify the colors and add depth.

color palette

primary · red · ochre · ivory black

secondary · burnt umber · raw sienna · titanium white

Achieve the skin tones by mixing ochre, white, and a touch of red. Use burnt umber and raw sienna to create the aged gold background.

techniques

·glazing
·scumbling
·layering
·hatching
·dry brushing

common pitfalls

→Overworking the skin tones and losing the subtle variations in color.
→Making the red robe too flat and lacking depth.
→Creating a background pattern that is too uniform and lacks visual interest.
→Getting the proportions of the figure wrong.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·Stretched canvas
·Acrylic gesso
·Acrylic paints (red, ochre, ivory black, burnt umber, raw sienna, titanium white)
·Round brushes (sizes 0, 2, 4)
·Flat brush (size 6)
·Palette
·Palette knife
·Water