plate no. 3120
Blanche Barretta
Louise Abbéma, 1880
some experience helpful
Recreating this portrait will help students develop skills in tonal value painting and capturing the likeness of a subject. It also provides practice in rendering fabric and subtle details.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
3
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 15 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure, focusing on the head, shoulders, and overall pose.
- step 02
Establish the background tone with a mid-value gray wash.
- step 03
Block in the major shadow areas on the face, dress, and hair, using a darker gray.
- step 04
Begin to refine the facial features, paying close attention to the eyes, nose, and mouth.
- step 05
Develop the folds and highlights in the dress, using a range of gray values.
- step 06
Add details to the hair, including individual strands and highlights.
- step 07
Paint the flowers on the dress, using subtle variations of gray.
- step 08
Refine the overall composition, adjusting values and adding final details.
color palette
primary · ivory black · titanium white
secondary · raw umber · payne's gray
Achieve various shades of gray by mixing ivory black and titanium white. Use raw umber and payne's gray to create warmer and cooler grays.
techniques
- ·tonal painting
- ·blending
- ·hatching
- ·scumbling
common pitfalls
- →Getting the proportions wrong in the initial sketch.
- →Overworking the details too early.
- →Creating muddy or flat values.
- →Ignoring the subtle variations in tone.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·ivory black oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·round brushes (#2, #4, #6)
- ·palette
- ·linseed oil
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·medium gloss
- ·easel
Use a smooth canvas for best results. Consider using a toned canvas to speed up the painting process.
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