plate no. 6436

A Beautiful Lady with Red Hair

oilArt Nouveau (Modern)portraitportraitfigurehairfabricwomanface

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including accurate proportions and subtle skin tone blending. It also provides practice in rendering soft fabrics and creating a sense of depth through value changes.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 20 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure and background.
step 02
Establish the main light and shadow areas with a thin wash of color.
step 03
Begin building up the skin tones, focusing on subtle color variations and smooth blending.
step 04
Paint the hair, paying attention to the direction of the strands and highlights.
step 05
Render the fabric, capturing its folds and highlights.
step 06
Refine the facial features, focusing on accuracy and expression.
step 07
Add details to the background, maintaining its soft and muted quality.
step 08
Make final adjustments to values and colors to create a cohesive and harmonious painting.

color palette

primary · titanium white · yellow ochre · burnt sienna · ultramarine blue

secondary · alizarin crimson · ivory black · viridian

Achieve skin tones by mixing white, yellow ochre, and a touch of red. Use blue and black to create the darker tones in the background and fabric. Mix greens from blue and yellow.

techniques