plate no. 2044

Ann Biddle Hopkinson

oilRomanticismportraitportraitwomanhatfeathersdresshair

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness, rendering skin tones, and creating soft, blended transitions. It also offers practice in depicting textures like fabric and feathers.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the head, hat, and shoulders.
step 02
Establish the background color with thin washes of brown and red.
step 03
Block in the main areas of light and shadow on the face, hat, and dress.
step 04
Refine the skin tones using a limited palette of reds, yellows, and whites, focusing on smooth blending.
step 05
Add details to the hair, paying attention to the curls and highlights.
step 06
Paint the hat and feathers, using darker values for the hat and lighter values for the feathers.
step 07
Add subtle details to the dress and jewelry.
step 08
Make final adjustments to values and edges to create a cohesive and realistic portrait.

color palette

primary · titanium white · raw umber · cadmium red light

secondary · ivory black · yellow ochre · ultramarine blue

Achieve skin tones by mixing white, red, yellow ochre, and a touch of raw umber. Use ultramarine blue to cool down shadows. Mix black and raw umber for the dark areas of the hat.

techniques

·Blending
·Layering
·Glazing
·Scumbling
·Chiaroscuro

common pitfalls

→Overworking the skin tones, leading to a muddy appearance.
→Failing to capture the correct proportions of the face.
→Using too much detail in the background, distracting from the subject.
→Not creating enough contrast between light and shadow.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·Stretched canvas 16x20
·Oil paints (titanium white, raw umber, cadmium red light, ivory black, yellow ochre, ultramarine blue)
·Round brushes (#2, #4, #6)
·Flat brushes (#6, #8)
·Palette
·Palette knife
·Odorless mineral spirits
·Linseed oil