plate no. 7543
Female Portrait
some experience helpful
This painting is a great exercise in capturing a likeness with expressive brushstrokes and limited color palette. Students will learn to simplify forms and focus on essential values to create a recognizable portrait.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the head, shoulders, and main features.
- step 02
Block in the background with a thin wash of gray-green.
- step 03
Establish the darkest values of the hair and clothing with dark brown and black.
- step 04
Mix a range of skin tones using white, ochre, and a touch of red, and apply in broad strokes.
- step 05
Define the facial features, paying attention to the shapes of the eyes, nose, and mouth.
- step 06
Add highlights to the face and hair to create dimension.
- step 07
Refine the details and adjust the values as needed.
- step 08
Add final touches to the clothing and background.
color palette
primary · titanium white · raw umber · sap green
secondary · ultramarine blue · cadmium red light · ivory black
Skin tones are achieved by mixing white, raw umber and a touch of red. Greens are created by mixing sap green with white or raw umber for variations.
techniques
- ·alla prima
- ·broken color
- ·scumbling
- ·expressive brushwork
- ·color mixing
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the details
- →getting bogged down in realism
- →not simplifying the forms
- →using too many colors
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas 12x16
- ·#4 round brush
- ·#8 flat brush
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·sap green oil paint
- ·palette knife
optional
- ·linseed oil
- ·turpentine
- ·palette
Use a limited palette to encourage color mixing and harmony. Consider using a toned canvas to start.
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