plate no. 8754
Baroness Kitty Rothschild
John Quincy Adams, 1916
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering realistic skin tones, as well as practice creating soft, blended transitions and depicting fabric folds.
technical profile
palette complexity
4
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
3
study guide
est. 20 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the main shapes and proportions of the figure, dog, and background elements.
- step 02
Establish the overall value structure with a thin wash of neutral color.
- step 03
Block in the main colors of the skin, dress, dog's fur, and background.
- step 04
Begin refining the facial features, paying attention to subtle value changes.
- step 05
Develop the form of the dress, using soft blending to create the folds and shadows.
- step 06
Add details to the dog's fur, using a variety of brushstrokes to create texture.
- step 07
Refine the background elements, such as the furniture and drapery.
- step 08
Add final highlights and details to complete the painting.
color palette
primary · ivory black · yellow ochre · raw umber · titanium white
secondary · burnt sienna · cadmium yellow light · alizarin crimson
Mix skin tones using yellow ochre, titanium white, and a touch of alizarin crimson. Achieve the dark tones of the dress by mixing ivory black with raw umber. Create the dog's fur by blending burnt sienna, titanium white, and raw umber.
techniques
- ·portraiture
- ·blending
- ·value studies
- ·fur rendering
- ·fabric rendering
common pitfalls
- →Overblending, resulting in a flat, lifeless appearance.
- →Incorrect proportions, leading to an inaccurate likeness.
- →Ignoring subtle value changes, resulting in a lack of depth.
- →Getting lost in details too early, before establishing the overall form.
- →Not paying attention to the direction of the light source.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·ivory black oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·burnt sienna oil paint
- ·#4 round brush
- ·#6 flat brush
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil
- ·odorless mineral spirits
- ·medium gloss
Use a medium-grain canvas for best results. Consider using a limited palette to simplify the color mixing process.
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