plate no. 3380

The painter August Riedel

oil, canvasRomanticismportraitportraitmanbeardhairclothingface

some experience helpful

Recreating this portrait will help students develop skills in value shading, portrait proportions, and capturing likeness through subtle variations in tone. It also provides practice in rendering textures like hair and beard.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Begin with a light sketch of the overall proportions and placement of the head, shoulders, and facial features.
step 02
Establish the main areas of light and shadow with thin washes of diluted paint.
step 03
Gradually build up the darker values in the hair, beard, and clothing, paying attention to the direction of the brushstrokes.
step 04
Refine the facial features, focusing on accurate placement and subtle value changes to create form.
step 05
Add highlights to the face, hair, and clothing to create a sense of depth and dimension.
step 06
Blend the edges of the shadows and highlights to create smooth transitions.
step 07
Add details to the beard and hair to create texture.
step 08
Make final adjustments to the values and details to achieve a likeness.

color palette

primary · ivory black · titanium white · raw umber

secondary · payne's gray

Mix various shades of gray by combining ivory black and titanium white. Add small amounts of raw umber or payne's gray to warm or cool the grays as needed.

techniques