plate no. 6166

William Ewart Lockhart, Artist

oilRomanticismportraitportraitfiguremanclothinghairmustache

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering skin tones. It also provides practice in using visible brushstrokes to create texture and form.

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 head, shoulders, and clothing.
step 02
Establish the background color with a thin wash of reddish-brown.
step 03
Block in the main areas of light and shadow on the face, using a limited palette of earth tones.
step 04
Gradually build up the skin tones with layers of thin paint, blending carefully to create smooth transitions.
step 05
Add details to the eyes, nose, and mouth, paying close attention to the subtle variations in color and value.
step 06
Paint the hair and beard, using short, broken brushstrokes to create texture.
step 07
Define the clothing and background with bolder brushstrokes, suggesting form and depth.
step 08
Add final highlights and details to complete the painting.

color palette

primary · burnt umber · raw sienna · titanium white · ivory black

secondary · cadmium red · yellow ochre

Mix skin tones by blending white with small amounts of burnt umber, raw sienna, and cadmium red. Use yellow ochre to warm up the skin tones and ivory black to create shadows.

techniques