plate no. 7651
At La Bastille (Portrait of Jeanne Wenz)
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and creating depth through subtle value changes. It also provides practice in depicting textures with visible brushstrokes.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 12 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement of the figure, table, and glass.
- step 02
Block in the main areas of color: background, clothing, table, and skin tones.
- step 03
Develop the background with loose, textured brushstrokes, varying greens and browns.
- step 04
Refine the figure's features, paying attention to proportions and subtle value changes.
- step 05
Add details to the clothing, capturing the folds and shadows with darker values.
- step 06
Paint the table and glass, using highlights and shadows to create a sense of form.
- step 07
Add final details and highlights to the face and hands.
- step 08
Review and adjust the overall composition and color balance.
color palette
primary · burnt umber · yellow ochre · titanium white · ivory black
secondary · viridian green · cadmium yellow · raw sienna
Achieve skin tones by mixing white, yellow ochre, and a touch of burnt umber. Create the background greens by mixing viridian green with yellow ochre and burnt umber.
techniques
- ·dry brush texture
- ·scumbling
- ·broken color
- ·portrait sketching
- ·value studies
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the details and losing the loose, painterly quality.
- →Failing to capture the correct proportions of the figure.
- →Using colors that are too saturated and bright.
- →Ignoring the subtle value changes in the skin tones.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·burnt umber oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·ivory black oil paint
- ·#4 round brush
- ·#8 flat brush
- ·palette
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil
- ·odorless mineral spirits
Use a medium-textured canvas to enhance the brushstroke visibility. Consider using a limited palette to simplify color mixing.
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