The Sitwell Family

approach — 8 steps

color palette

primary · ivory black · burnt umber · titanium white · cadmium red

secondary · yellow ochre · raw sienna · ultramarine blue

Achieve the subtle skin tones by mixing white with small amounts of burnt umber, cadmium red, and yellow ochre. Create the dark background by mixing ivory black and burnt umber, adding small amounts of ultramarine blue for depth.

techniques

• ·portraiture
• ·alla prima
• ·scumbling
• ·glazing
• ·chiaroscuro

common pitfalls

• →Getting the proportions of the figures wrong.
• →Overworking the details and losing the loose, painterly feel.
• →Failing to capture the subtle variations in tone and color.
• →Not paying enough attention to the light and shadow.
• →Creating muddy colors by overmixing.