plate no. 1016

William Holman Hunt

oilRomanticismportraitportraitfiguremanbeardfacejewelry

experienced study

Recreating this portrait will help students develop skills in portraiture, including accurate proportions, subtle color mixing for skin tones, and rendering fine details. It also provides practice in capturing likeness and creating a sense of depth and form.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 20 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the oval shape of the portrait and the basic proportions of the face and beard.
step 02
Establish the background color with a thin wash of green and brown.
step 03
Block in the main areas of the face, beard, and hair with basic color mixtures.
step 04
Begin to refine the skin tones, adding subtle variations in color and value.
step 05
Develop the beard and hair, paying attention to the direction of the strands and the play of light and shadow.
step 06
Paint the eyes, capturing their color and expression.
step 07
Add details to the face, such as wrinkles and highlights.
step 08
Refine the background and add any final details.

color palette

primary · titanium white · burnt umber · cadmium red · yellow ochre

secondary · sap green · ultramarine blue · ivory black

Achieve skin tones by mixing white, yellow ochre, cadmium red, and a touch of burnt umber. Use small amounts of blue or green to cool down the skin tones in shadow areas. For the beard, mix reds, browns, and yellows, adding white for highlights.

techniques