Make a colour study of the head

MATERIALS

• Small board or canvas; make sure that the primed surface is suitable for use with oil paint. I used an oil-primed linen made by Belle Arte, which is available from Jackson’s Art Supplies.

• Oil colours: titanium white, lemon yellow or cadmium lemon, raw sienna*, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, cerulean blue, ultramarine blue, raw umber for the initial underdrawing.

• A palette knife with a long blade for mixing.

• Palette.

• Your preferred thinner – turpentine, Sansodor, Zest-it; and medium – linseed oil or Liquin.

• Selection of brushes: I used a mix of rounds and filberts from Rosemary & Co’s Shiraz and Ivory ranges. A rigger brush was used initially for drawing and establishing the composition within the rectangle. Once the major landmarks and placing of the head had been established a variety