plate no. 1515

Clotidle sitting on the sofa

Joaquín Sorolla, 1910

oil, canvasImpressionismportraitportraitfiguresofadresschairinterior

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in capturing light and shadow with loose brushstrokes and mixing subtle variations of color to create form. It also provides practice in portraiture and capturing the essence of a subject.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure, sofa, and chair using light pencil lines.
step 02
Block in the main areas of color with thin washes, focusing on the overall values (lightness and darkness).
step 03
Start building up the shadows and highlights on the figure and sofa, using thicker paint and visible brushstrokes.
step 04
Mix subtle color variations to create form and depth, paying attention to how light affects the colors.
step 05
Refine the details of the face and hands, but maintain a loose and painterly style.
step 06
Add highlights to the dress and sofa to create a sense of luminosity.
step 07
Adjust the background colors to create depth and atmosphere.
step 08
Step back and assess the overall composition, making any necessary adjustments to the values and colors.

color palette

primary · yellow ochre · burnt sienna · titanium white

secondary · raw umber · cadmium yellow · alizarin crimson

Mix various shades of yellow and brown with white to create the different tones of the sofa and dress. Use small amounts of red and blue to create subtle variations in the shadows.

techniques

·alla prima
·broken color
·scumbling
·dry brushing
·color temperature

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details and losing the loose, painterly style.
→Making the colors too saturated and artificial.
→Failing to capture the subtle variations in value and color.
→Not paying attention to the proportions of the figure.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·Stretched canvas 18x24
·Oil paints (yellow ochre, burnt sienna, titanium white, raw umber, cadmium yellow, alizarin crimson)
·Palette
·Assorted brushes (round and flat)
·Linseed oil
·Odorless mineral spirits
·Palette knife
·Rags