plate no. 4727
Arletty
Kees van Dongen, 1931
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in color mixing for skin tones and capturing a likeness with expressive brushstrokes. It also provides practice in simplifying forms and focusing on essential details.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 10 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the head and shoulders.
- step 02
Block in the background with a thin layer of grey.
- step 03
Establish the main areas of skin tone using a mix of white, green, pink, and a touch of blue.
- step 04
Define the hair with dark blues and blacks, using visible brushstrokes to indicate texture.
- step 05
Add details to the face, focusing on the eyes, nose, and mouth, using small, precise strokes.
- step 06
Refine the shadows and highlights to create depth and dimension.
- step 07
Add the red for the lips.
- step 08
Add the artist's signature.
color palette
primary · titanium white · ivory black · cadmium red · cerulean blue
secondary · yellow ochre · viridian green
Skin tones are achieved by mixing white with small amounts of green, pink, and blue. The hair is a mix of black and blue, with hints of brown. The background is a neutral grey.
techniques
- ·alla prima
- ·broken color
- ·scumbling
- ·color mixing
- ·expressive brushwork
common pitfalls
- →Overblending the skin tones, resulting in a flat appearance.
- →Getting the proportions wrong in the initial sketch.
- →Using too much detail and losing the expressive quality.
- →Not capturing the likeness of the subject.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·oil paints
- ·palette
- ·assorted brushes
- ·linseed oil
- ·turpentine
- ·palette knife
optional
- ·painting medium
- ·varnish
- ·easel
Use a medium-sized canvas to allow for expressive brushstrokes. A limited palette will encourage careful color mixing.
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