plate no. 1601

The Carrying of the Cross, Christ and St. Veronica

oil, panelNorthern Renaissancereligious paintingfiguresreligious sceneportraitscrowdcross

experienced study

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, rendering complex skin tones, and creating a sense of depth through layering and value control. It also provides practice in depicting a variety of facial expressions and textures.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 30 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Prepare the canvas with a toned ground (e.g., burnt umber wash).
step 02
Create a preliminary sketch outlining the main figures and their positions.
step 03
Block in the basic shapes and colors of each figure, focusing on the overall composition.
step 04
Begin layering the skin tones, starting with mid-tones and gradually adding highlights and shadows.
step 05
Pay close attention to the details of the faces, including the eyes, nose, and mouth.
step 06
Render the clothing and other details, such as the headdress and jewelry.
step 07
Refine the background and add any final details.
step 08
Apply a varnish to protect the painting and enhance the colors.

color palette

primary · burnt umber · yellow ochre · titanium white · ivory black

secondary · cadmium red · ultramarine blue · viridian green

Achieve skin tones by mixing burnt umber, yellow ochre, and titanium white, with small amounts of red or green for subtle variations. Use ultramarine blue and white to create the pale blue of the headdress.

techniques