plate no. 6039

Wilhelm Cramer

oilBaroqueportraitportraitfiguremanclothingdraperyhair

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including accurate proportions and subtle value gradations to create form. It also provides practice in rendering fabric and hair.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure, paying attention to the placement of the head, shoulders, and hands.
step 02
Establish the background with a thin wash of burnt umber and red, creating a sense of depth.
step 03
Block in the main areas of color for the skin, hair, and clothing, using a limited palette of earth tones and white.
step 04
Begin to refine the facial features, focusing on the subtle shifts in value that define the form.
step 05
Add details to the hair, using small brushstrokes to create texture and highlights.
step 06
Develop the folds and shadows in the clothing, paying attention to the way the fabric drapes.
step 07
Refine the hands and the object they are holding, adding details and highlights.
step 08
Make final adjustments to the values and colors, ensuring that the overall composition is balanced and harmonious.

color palette

primary · burnt umber · titanium white · cadmium red

secondary · yellow ochre · ivory black

Achieve skin tones by mixing white, yellow ochre, and a touch of red. Use burnt umber and black to create shadows in the clothing and background.

techniques

·portraiture
·blending
·value studies
·glazing
·scumbling

common pitfalls

→Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
→Overworking the details too early in the process.
→Using too much color and losing the subtle value gradations.
→Failing to create a sense of depth in the background.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas (16x20 inches)
·oil paints (burnt umber, titanium white, cadmium red, yellow ochre, ivory black)
·palette
·assorted brushes (round and flat)
·linseed oil
·turpentine or odorless mineral spirits
·palette knife