plate no. 4115
Beautiful Betty
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including accurate proportions, skin tone mixing, and rendering soft, diffused lighting. It also provides practice in depicting textures like hair and fabric.
technical profile
palette complexity
4
brushwork visibility
3
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 15 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure, hat, and dress.
- step 02
Establish the background color with a thin wash.
- step 03
Block in the main areas of color for the skin, hair, dress, and hat.
- step 04
Begin layering and blending the skin tones, paying attention to subtle variations in color and value.
- step 05
Develop the details of the hair, using thin, flowing brushstrokes.
- step 06
Refine the details of the dress and hat, including the folds and textures.
- step 07
Add highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.
- step 08
Make final adjustments to the colors and values to achieve a harmonious overall effect.
color palette
primary · titanium white · yellow ochre · burnt umber · cadmium red light
secondary · ivory black · ultramarine blue · raw sienna
Achieve skin tones by mixing white, yellow ochre, cadmium red light, and a touch of burnt umber. Use ultramarine blue and burnt umber to create a range of blacks and grays for the hat and background.
techniques
- ·portraiture
- ·blending
- ·glazing
- ·scumbling
- ·rendering
common pitfalls
- →Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
- →Overworking the skin tones and making them look muddy.
- →Failing to capture the soft, diffused lighting.
- →Ignoring the subtle color variations in the hair and dress.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·burnt umber oil paint
- ·cadmium red light oil paint
- ·ivory black oil paint
- ·round brushes (sizes 0, 2, 4, 6)
- ·linseed oil
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·medium gloss
- ·turpentine
Use high-quality oil paints for best results. A medium-grain canvas will provide a good surface for blending and layering.
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