plate no. 2744

St. Mary Magdalene

oil, panelHigh Renaissancereligious paintingfigureportraitreligioushaloclothinghair

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including accurate proportions, subtle skin tone blending, and rendering soft textures. It also provides practice in creating a sense of depth through value and color.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 20 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Prepare the canvas with a toned ground (burnt umber or similar).
step 02
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure, focusing on the head, shoulders, and hands.
step 03
Establish the darkest areas of the background and clothing with thin washes of dark brown and black.
step 04
Begin blocking in the skin tones with a base layer of light ochre and white, gradually adding pinks and reds for warmth.
step 05
Carefully blend the skin tones, paying attention to the subtle shifts in value and color around the eyes, nose, and mouth.
step 06
Add details to the hair, clothing, and hands, using small brushes and thin layers of paint.
step 07
Paint the halo with a thin line of gold or yellow ochre.
step 08
Add final glazes to deepen shadows and enhance highlights.

color palette

primary · titanium white · burnt umber · yellow ochre · cadmium red

secondary · ivory black · raw sienna · alizarin crimson

Skin tones are achieved by mixing white, ochre, and small amounts of red. Shadows are created by adding burnt umber and black to the base skin tone. The dark background is primarily burnt umber and black.

techniques

·glazing
·scumbling
·blending
·chiaroscuro
·portraiture

common pitfalls

→Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
→Over-blending the skin tones, resulting in a flat, lifeless appearance.
→Making the background too light, which will flatten the figure.
→Failing to capture the subtle nuances of light and shadow.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas
·oil paints (titanium white, burnt umber, yellow ochre, cadmium red, ivory black)
·linseed oil
·turpentine or odorless mineral spirits
·assorted brushes (small round, small flat, large flat)
·palette
·palette knife
·rags