Chop Suey

Two figures occupy a white table in the foreground—a woman in green facing the viewer, a man with his back turned—anchored by a small red teapot. Behind them, a darker male figure leans near a brilliantly lit window on the left, and a couple inhabits the shadowy background. The light source is the left window, flooding cool blue-white into the deep warm browns of the interior, creating sharp geometric divisions between illuminated panes and dark mullions. Your eye lands first on the woman's pale face, the only warm flesh tone frontal to the viewer, then travels across the white table. The composition is built from strong vertical and horizontal lines—the window frame, wall edges, the red sign at top right, and a geometric yellow rectangular form.

The darkest darks anchor the background and upper left (the far man's silhouette, wall shadow). The lightest lights are the window panes and the woman's face. The white table reads as a mid-light that commands attention through its cleanliness and isolation. Squint and you'll see two major value groups: the cool, bright window zone versus the warm, shadowed interior. The woman's face is surprisingly dark in value—it reads as light because of color temperature and context, not raw brightness.

• #312622

  Ultramarine + Burnt Sienna + touch of white; or raw Mars Black darkened with blue

  Deep shadows on walls, the far man's silhouette, dark clothing of both figures, window mullions

• #5b351a

  Burnt Sienna + Ultramarine + Alizarin

  Wood trim, the man's jacket back, shadowed interior walls

• #a57b4a

  Yellow Ochre + Burnt Sienna + touch of white

  Mid-tone walls, warm flesh underpainting, the teapot reddish areas

• #953a07

  Cadmium Red + Burnt Sienna or Venetian Red

  The dominant red sign at top right, accents on the teapot and architectural features

• #c7c29f

  Titanium White + Yellow Ochre + touch of Ultramarine

  The lit window panes, the cream tones of the walls where light falls

• #f6e7c7

  Titanium White + touch of Yellow Ochre + slight Cadmium Yellow

  The brightest window light, the woman's face highlights, the white tablecloth, brightest architectural light

Edges are crisp where forms meet the background—the woman's profile against the dark wall, the table edge against shadow—but soft and blended in areas of lesser detail like the man's back and background figures. Brushwork is economical and controlled, with no visible impasto or flourish; paint is applied flatly to define form through value and color, not texture. The technique prioritizes clarity of shape over atmospheric subtlety, though the window light is handled with precise geometric boundaries.

1. 01

   Establish the underpainting and value map

   Lightly sketch the major geometric shapes: the table as a rectangle, the window as a grid, the figures as simplified masses. Use a thin wash of Ultramarine + Burnt Sienna to block in the darkest areas—the walls, background figures, and shadows. This will anchor your value range before color.

2. 02

   Block the wall planes and cool window light

   Paint the warm interior walls in a mix of Yellow Ochre + touch of Cadmium Red + white. Paint the window panes with a pale cool blue (Ultramarine + white + touch of Alizarin) and the mullions/frame with dark Ultramarine + Burnt Sienna. The contrast between warm walls and cool window is the painting's emotional core—make this clear.

3. 03

   Establish the white table and floor

   Paint the table with a clean Titanium White + touch of Yellow Ochre + trace Ultramarine—not pure white, but warm-leaning cream. This will sit against the darker floor and walls. The table's value and clarity makes it a focal anchor.

4. 04

   Block in the figures and their value relationships

   Paint the woman's dress in a muted yellow-green (Yellow Ochre + Ultramarine + white). Paint the man's back in dark brown-black (Ultramarine + Burnt Sienna + Alizarin). Keep both figures simple at this stage; their value should clearly recede them from the table and face forward.

5. 05

   Paint the woman's face and head

   This is the focal point. Use Yellow Ochre + Cadmium Red + white for the face base, then add touches of cool (Ultramarine) in shadowed areas around the eye and jaw. Model the face with care—it should read as lit by the cool window despite being warm in color. The contrast between cool shadow and warm light is what gives her face presence.

6. 06

   Add the red sign, yellow form, and background details

   Paint the prominent red sign at top right with Cadmium Red + touch of Alizarin + Burnt Sienna. Paint the geometric yellow rectangular form with Cadmium Yellow + Yellow Ochre + white. Add the teapot on the table in Burnt Sienna + touch of Cadmium Red. These elements don't demand detail—they're more about color blocking and spatial rhythm.

7. 07

   Refine the background couple and atmospheric depth

   The background figures should be darker in value and softer in edge than foreground elements. Keep them simplified and warm-toned to let the foreground advance. Don't render their details—suggestion is enough. The male figure near the window can have a slight cool cast from the window light.

8. 08

   Final adjustments: edges, values, and color temperature

   Step back and check: Are the hardest edges where they belong (around the woman's face, table edge)? Do the warm and cool zones read distinctly? Is the woman's face modeled with enough subtlety, or does it look flat? Soften edges that feel too sharp in secondary areas. Make sure no warm tones drift into the window light and no cool tones warm up the interior shadows unnecessarily.

• The woman's face can flatten into a pale mask if you don't model it with subtle cool shadows despite its overall light value—treat it like a head, not a light shape.
• Losing the cool-warm color temperature split by mixing the two zones too much in transition areas; the contrast is what creates the painting's mood, so maintain it.
• Making the red sign or yellow form too bright, which will pull the eye away from the woman's face and unbalance the composition—keep them in mid-value range.
• Overworking or softening edges on the table and architectural forms; the geometric clarity is essential to the Hopper aesthetic—preserve crisp boundaries.
• Neglecting the small details like the teapot and the background man's position, which anchor spatial depth and reading of the scene, even if minor in size.

beginner friendliness

value contrast

palette complexity

compositional simplicity

brushwork visibility