plate no. 6602

A Rose by Any Other Name

Jessie Willcox Smith, 1924

mixed mediaRomanticismillustrationfigureroseschildflowersdressgarden

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in color mixing to achieve subtle variations in skin tones and fabric, as well as practice layering techniques to build up the form of the roses and foliage.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes of the figure, rose bush, and background.
step 02
Block in the large areas of color: the background, the dress, and the foliage.
step 03
Begin layering in the shadows and highlights on the dress to create form.
step 04
Start defining the individual roses, paying attention to their shapes and colors.
step 05
Add details to the foliage, including the leaves and stems.
step 06
Refine the features of the figure, including the face, hair, and hands.
step 07
Add final details and highlights to the entire painting.
step 08
Glaze with thin layers to unify the colors.

color palette

primary · cerulean blue · yellow ochre · alizarin crimson · titanium white

secondary · sap green · raw umber · cadmium red light

Mix cerulean blue with white for the background. Use yellow ochre and white for the dress, adding small amounts of raw umber for shadows. Mix alizarin crimson and white for the roses, adding touches of cadmium red for warmth.

techniques

·layering
·blending
·scumbling
·glazing
·color mixing

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details too early.
→Using colors straight from the tube without mixing.
→Not paying attention to the values and proportions.
→Making the background too saturated, which will distract from the main subject.