plate no. 9211
A Portrait of a Young Lady.
Xu Beihong, 1940
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, color mixing for skin tones, and rendering fabric patterns. It also provides practice in creating a sense of depth and form through subtle value changes.
technical profile
palette complexity
4
brushwork visibility
3
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
3
study guide
est. 15 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure and chair.
- step 02
Establish the background with a thin wash of neutral color.
- step 03
Block in the main areas of color on the face, hair, and clothing.
- step 04
Refine the skin tones with subtle color variations and soft blending.
- step 05
Add details to the facial features, paying attention to highlights and shadows.
- step 06
Paint the floral pattern on the shirt, simplifying the shapes and colors.
- step 07
Render the chair with attention to its form and the cast shadows.
- step 08
Add final details and adjust values to create a cohesive composition.
color palette
primary · titanium white · yellow ochre · burnt umber · ivory black
secondary · cadmium red · cerulean blue · sap green
Skin tones can be achieved by mixing titanium white, yellow ochre, and a touch of burnt umber or cadmium red. The floral pattern requires mixing various greens, blues, and reds with white and black to create a range of hues and values.
techniques
- ·portraiture
- ·color mixing
- ·blending
- ·layering
- ·rendering fabric
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the skin tones and losing the freshness of the brushstrokes.
- →Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
- →Making the floral pattern too detailed and distracting.
- →Ignoring the subtle value changes that create form.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas 16x20
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·burnt umber oil paint
- ·ivory black oil paint
- ·cadmium red oil paint
- ·cerulean blue oil paint
- ·round brushes (sizes 2, 4, 6)
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil
- ·odorless mineral spirits
Use high-quality oil paints for best results. A medium such as linseed oil can be used to thin the paint and improve blending.
tips & new artworks in your inbox
no spam — unsubscribe anytime.
or to save artworks, chat, and track progress
in this vein
