plate no. 0951
A living planet
Alina Danilova, 2020
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, landscape elements, and blending pastels to achieve smooth transitions. It also encourages creative thinking by combining different elements into a surreal composition.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
3
study guide
est. 10 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the face, mountains, and trees.
- step 02
Block in the background sky with a light layer of blue pastel.
- step 03
Start layering colors on the face, focusing on highlights and shadows to define the form.
- step 04
Add the base colors for the trees and mountains, using different shades of green, brown, and gray.
- step 05
Begin to define the details of the trees, adding darker greens for shadows and lighter greens for highlights.
- step 06
Work on the mountains, using hatching and cross-hatching to create texture and form.
- step 07
Blend the colors together using your fingers or a blending stump to create smooth transitions.
- step 08
Add final details and highlights to complete the painting.
color palette
primary · sky blue · yellow ochre · forest green
secondary · burnt sienna · titanium white · raw umber
Mix yellow ochre with white for highlights on the face. Use different shades of green by mixing forest green with yellow and blue. Create mountain shadows by mixing raw umber with burnt sienna.
techniques
- ·blending
- ·layering
- ·hatching
- ·cross-hatching
- ·color mixing
common pitfalls
- →Over-blending, which can result in muddy colors.
- →Not establishing a clear value structure early on.
- →Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
- →Using too much pressure when applying pastels, making it difficult to blend.
materials
surface · pastel paper (toned)
required
- ·Pastel set (soft pastels)
- ·Pastel paper (toned)
- ·Blending stumps
- ·Kneaded eraser
- ·Fixative spray
- ·Pencil (for sketching)
- ·Ruler
optional
- ·Palette knife
- ·Workable fixative
Choose a pastel paper with a slightly rough texture to help the pastels adhere. A toned paper will make it easier to establish values.
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