plate no. 5844

At Rest

Ion Theodorescu-Sion, 1912

oilPost-Impressionismportraitportraitfiguresshipsskyhatsglass

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, color mixing to achieve muted tones, and layering brushstrokes to create texture and depth. It also provides practice in simplifying complex scenes into basic shapes and forms.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the main shapes: the figures, ship outlines, and basic background elements.
step 02
Block in the main color areas with thin washes, focusing on the overall color scheme.
step 03
Start building up layers of paint, focusing on the shadows and highlights to define the forms.
step 04
Pay attention to the skin tones, mixing reds, yellows, and browns to achieve the desired effect.
step 05
Add details to the faces, clothing, and objects, using smaller brushes.
step 06
Refine the background, adding details to the ships and sky.
step 07
Add final highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.
step 08
Allow the painting to dry completely and add a varnish for protection.

color palette

primary · olive green · grey · red-brown · white

secondary · yellow ochre · dark blue · burnt umber

Achieve the muted greens by mixing olive green with grey and burnt umber. Skin tones are achieved by mixing red-brown with white and small amounts of yellow ochre.

techniques

·dry brushing
·layering
·color mixing
·scumbling
·blocking in

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details too early in the process.
→Using colors that are too bright or saturated.
→Ignoring the importance of value contrast.
→Not simplifying the complex shapes into basic forms.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·Stretched canvas (16x20 inches)
·Oil paints (olive green, grey, red-brown, white, yellow ochre, dark blue, burnt umber)
·Round brushes (sizes 2, 4, 6)
·Flat brushes (sizes 4, 8)
·Palette
·Linseed oil
·Odorless mineral spirits
·Palette knife