plate no. 0541

Countess De Pourtalès, Born Mélanie Renouard De Bussières

oil, canvasRomanticismportraitportraitfiguredresspearlsbackgroundhair

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering skin tones, as well as understanding how to create depth and texture with visible brushstrokes.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 20 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure and background.
step 02
Establish the overall color scheme with thin washes of color.
step 03
Block in the main areas of color for the skin, hair, dress, and background.
step 04
Begin refining the facial features, paying attention to light and shadow.
step 05
Add details to the dress and jewelry, focusing on texture and highlights.
step 06
Develop the background with loose, expressive brushstrokes.
step 07
Refine the overall composition and add final details.
step 08
Glaze to unify the painting and add depth.

color palette

primary · yellow ochre · burnt umber · titanium white

secondary · alizarin crimson · ultramarine blue

Mix skin tones using white, yellow ochre, and a touch of alizarin crimson; create shadows with burnt umber and ultramarine blue. Achieve the background color by mixing yellow ochre with burnt umber and a touch of green.

techniques

·portraiture
·glazing
·scumbling
·chiaroscuro
·alla prima

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details and losing the loose, expressive quality.
→Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
→Creating muddy colors by overmixing.
→Failing to capture the likeness of the subject.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas 16x20
·oil paints (yellow ochre, burnt umber, titanium white, alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue)
·linseed oil
·turpentine
·palette
·assorted brushes (round and flat)
·palette knife