Fine Art Portraits in Oil by Dave Turner—Portrait Demonstration, 1

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This page presents a more detailed demonstration of Dave Turner's painting technique. The work, completed in 2008, is a commissioned copy of Morning Bouquet by French artist Alfred Guillou (1844-1926), a pupil of William Bouguereau. Although direct painting in the Impressionist style was in vogue when the original work was produced, Guillou would have learned classic painting techniques in the atelier of Bouguereau, who worked in the academic tradition. This copy of Morning Bouquet follows the classic technique of layering color glazes on top of a monochrome underpainting.

1. Drawing
After applying coats of acrylic gesso and white oil paint to a 20" x 16" linen canvas, a drawing of the original painting was transferred to the canvas and outlined with a thin mixture of burnt umber and titanium white, using a fine sable brush.

2. Initial rough-in
Burnt umber and titanium white also were used for this initial rough-in, establishing approximate values for the grayscale underpainting to follow.

3. Underpainting the flesh
Working from dark to light, an underpainting is begun using values of gray.

Flesh tones are applied with round sable brushes and blended to match a monochrome print of the original work.

4. Underpainting the background
After flesh values are established, background values are laid in with bristle filberts. This part of the underpainting is applied thinly, allowing the warm tones of the initial rough-in to vibrate with the cool grays.

5. Completing the underpainting
Gray values for the bouquet and garment are applied with bristle filberts. Round sable brushes are used to portray the softness of the subject's hair.

With some corrections to the figure, the underpainting is complete. After drying, the application of color can begin.

6. Applying color
Although it may not be possible today to specify Guillou's palette, we do have a list of colors used by Bouguereau and these colors are used for this painting. Some colors from Bouguereau's palette are replaced with modern equivalents which are more stable and less fugitive than those of a century ago.

Alizarin crimson (for Rose madder)
Burnt sienna
Cadmium red (for Chinese red)
Cadmium yellow deep (for chrome yellow dark)
Cobalt blue
Ivory black
Mars brown
Naples yellow
Permalba white (for white lead)
Van Dyck Brown
Viridian
Yellow ochre

The initial color session includes a first pass at the background and the first glaze of the subject's hair.

Next, basic colors for the bouquet are established. Details and highlights will be added later.

7. Glazing the Flesh
There now begins a series of many flesh glazes which gradually bring the subject to life. Four of the two dozen glazing stages are shown below.

8. Finishing touches
Final highlights are added to the figure, bouquet, and background. These accents complete the painting. [ Zoom ]