plate no. 6182

Deirdre

Dorothea Tanning, 1940

oilSurrealismportraitportraitfigurefoliagered ribbonheadpiecesurreal

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including accurate proportions and subtle skin tone variations, as well as rendering complex textures like foliage.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure, focusing on the head and shoulders.
step 02
Establish the background color with a thin wash of muted browns and yellows.
step 03
Block in the main areas of skin tone using a base color, paying attention to light and shadow.
step 04
Begin layering and blending skin tones to create smooth transitions and subtle variations.
step 05
Paint the red ribbon, focusing on the folds and highlights to create a sense of volume.
step 06
Add the foliage headpiece, starting with the larger branches and then adding smaller details.
step 07
Refine the facial features, paying close attention to the eyes, nose, and mouth.
step 08
Add final details and highlights to the entire painting to create depth and realism.

color palette

primary · yellow ochre · burnt umber · titanium white · cadmium red

secondary · sap green · raw sienna

Achieve skin tones by mixing yellow ochre, burnt umber, and titanium white in varying proportions. Use cadmium red for the ribbon, adding burnt umber for shadows and white for highlights. Mix sap green with yellow ochre for the foliage.

techniques