plate no. 7284

The Young Man

Aleksander Belyaev, 2019

oil, canvasImpressionismportraitportraitfigurehairfaceman

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering skin tones with subtle color variations. It also provides practice in creating soft backgrounds and loose brushwork.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the face and hair.
step 02
Establish the background with loose washes of color, focusing on the overall tone.
step 03
Block in the main areas of light and shadow on the face using a limited palette.
step 04
Refine the facial features, paying attention to the subtle shifts in color and value.
step 05
Add details to the hair, using varied brushstrokes to create texture and movement.
step 06
Soften edges and blend colors to create a sense of atmosphere.
step 07
Add highlights to the face and hair to enhance the sense of depth.
step 08
Make final adjustments to the composition and color balance.

color palette

primary · raw umber · titanium white · yellow ochre · burnt sienna

secondary · ultramarine blue · cadmium red light

Mix skin tones by blending raw umber, yellow ochre, and titanium white, adding small amounts of cadmium red for warmth. Use ultramarine blue and white for the sky. Mix browns and yellows for the background.

techniques

·alla prima
·wet-on-wet blending
·broken color
·scumbling
·layering

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details and losing the loose, painterly feel.
→Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
→Using too much detail in the background.
→Creating muddy colors by over-mixing.
→Failing to capture the subtle shifts in value and color.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·Stretched canvas (12x16 inches)
·Oil paints (raw umber, titanium white, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, cadmium red light)
·Palette
·Palette knife
·Odorless mineral spirits
·Linseed oil
·Assorted brushes (round and flat)
·Rags