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    Oil Painting the Angel within Da Vinci’s the Virgin of the Rocks: Unleash the Right Brain to Paint the Three-quarter Portrait View
    Oil Painting the Angel within Da Vinci’s the Virgin of the Rocks: Unleash the Right Brain to Paint the Three-quarter Portrait View
    Oil Painting the Angel within Da Vinci’s the Virgin of the Rocks: Unleash the Right Brain to Paint the Three-quarter Portrait View
    Ebook84 pages51 minutes

    Oil Painting the Angel within Da Vinci’s the Virgin of the Rocks: Unleash the Right Brain to Paint the Three-quarter Portrait View

    By Rachel Shirley

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    About this ebook

    Leonardo da Vinci’s angel that can be seen within his masterpiece, the Virgin of the Rocks is arguably more difficult to paint than his more renowned piece, the Mona Lisa.

    One only has to view this exquisite portrait painting to see why. The angel’s face is not only inclined, but orientated in a three-quarter view, posing challenges in rendering her features. The lighting is subtle yet full of drama and colour. Shadows shift in ethereal ways; greens and crimsons condense between light and shadow. And the hair resembles spun gold. How can the developing portraitist take on such a challenge?

    This book offers guidance via a breakdown of this project into manageable pieces, providing an invaluable experience for any portraitist.

    The chief section of this book comprises step by step images and instructions on how the angel was completed.

    Find also an in-depth section on overcoming common pitfalls when rendering the three-quarter portrait view, guidance on the art materials and conducting the underpainting.
    Also explored is shading technique, colour blending, glazing systems, sfumato application and achieving high detail. A troubleshooting guide and glossary are also included.

    A challenging yet rewarding project on achieving Da Vinci’s early Renaissance style by the use of modern and simple art materials.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRachel Shirley
    Release dateJul 22, 2016
    ISBN9781370736942
    Oil Painting the Angel within Da Vinci’s the Virgin of the Rocks: Unleash the Right Brain to Paint the Three-quarter Portrait View
    Author

    Rachel Shirley

    I have practiced oil painting from the age of six and have since been involved in countless projects and commissions. A graduate from Kingston University, Surrey and with a PCET teaching qualification from Warwick University, I have won competitions, taught life drawing and have written several books and many articles on oil painting and teaching art.

    Read more from Rachel Shirley

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      Book preview

      Oil Painting the Angel within Da Vinci’s the Virgin of the Rocks - Rachel Shirley

      Oil Painting Medic

      Oil Painting the Angel within Da Vinci’s the Virgin of the Rocks

      Unleash the Right Brain to Paint the Three-quarter Portrait View

      Rachel Shirley

      First Published in 2016 by Rachel Shirley

      Text, photographs and illustrations copyright Rachel Shirley 2016. All rights reserved.

      First Published in 2016 by Rachel Shirley All rights reserved ISBN: 9781370736942 Smashwords Edition License Note This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      To my family

      Some of the images within this book

      Contents

      Introduction

      Stage 1: The Challenges Ahead

      Stage 2: Underpinning the Painting

      Stage 3 : The Foundation Glaze

      Stage 4: Bands of Colour

      Stage 5 : Shadow Refinements

      Stage 6: Framing the Face

      The Finished Painting

      What Went Wrong?

      Glossary

      References

      Other books by the author

      Introduction

      PAINTING A PORTRAIT in three-quarter view poses challenges not encountered when painting a portrait face-on or in profile. This can be seen within the subject of this book: the mysterious angel located to the right of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Virgin of the Rocks, completed in 1508 (pictured above).

      A close-up view of the angel brings clarity to the task at hand. The face from such an angle makes this subject matter ideal for the artist wishing to delve into the challenging realms of portraiture.

      Elements to explore within this book are several: namely expressing subtle colour shifts with the ebbing planes of the face, dissolving highlights into shadow via sfumato technique (explained in a moment), suggesting the sleek curls of the hair, capturing the translucency of the angel’s eyes and the application of high detail in the style of the early Renaissance period. For this reason, such a project requires a certain amount of dedication and commitment.

      To this end, this book describes in detail how this painting has been completed, beginning with the art materials required, challenges to consider and laying down the foundations for the oil painting. This is followed by step by step images accompanied by detailed instructions, thus creating the perfect portrait painter’s workout.

      But before embarking upon this oil painting, let’s learn a little more about the artist and this masterpiece.

      Leonardo’s other Masterpiece

      (Left) Leonardo da Vinci’s first rendition of the Virgin of the Rocks, begun around 1483 and which is located in the Louvre, Paris (199 cm×122 cm). (Right) Da Vinci’s later version was begun around 1508 and which is located in the National Gallery, London (189.5 cm×120 cm).

      As can be seen from the two images, his later version evidences deeper tonal values, bordering upon chiaroscuro – (meaning ‘bright-dark’) and a more polished finish.

      In contrast to Leonardo da Vinci’s the Mona Lisa, housed within the Louvre in Paris, few may notice his other masterpiece not far away. The Virgin of the Rocks (sometimes referred to as the Madonna of the Rocks). This painting in fact forms the earlier version of two paintings, the latter of which is housed within the National Gallery, London and to which forms the focus of this book.

      But this relatively obscure painting possesses astonishing qualities deserving more than a pause or a passing glance. Most striking are the depth of tones of the figures,

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