Fine Art Portraits in Oil by Dave Turner—Portrait Demonstration, 2

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This page presents a demonstration of the Venetian technique used by the artist to produce a copy of Bronzino's Lady in a Red Dress (shown on the What's New page). The artist's usual Old-Master technique for working with live subjects is shown on the previous page. The Work in Progress page presents a more detailed development of a painting from start to finish.

(Click on the portrait for a larger view; click on Detail or Zoom for a detailed view.)

1. Underpainting
The canvas is primed with a light imprimatura of Venetian red, over which the drawing is laid. Except for the flesh, the entire picture is underpainted in monochrome, establishing the appropriate light and dark values that would later be glazed with color. The hair is underpainted in burnt umber; the rest of the underpainting is tones of grey.

2. Underpainting the flesh
Chromium oxide of green is used as the base color for the subject's head and hands. This green underpainting is ideal for producing the olive undertones typical of Italian complexion.

3. Modeling the head and hands
Over the green underpainting, the head and hands are modeled by dry brushing the highlight areas with white paint. By lightly scumbling the halftone areas, the green underpainting shows through the white.

4. Color glazing
Color is applied to the background, chair, and garments with a series of semi-transparent layers. Each color glaze has the same value as the monochrome underpainting.

5. Glazing the flesh
After rendering the lap dog and the subject's hair, the face and hands are repeatedly glazed to a level of detail similar to Bronzino's original. These glazes give life to the flesh and complete the portrait. [ Detail ] [ Zoom ]