plate no. 4022

Girl at a red sofa

oil, canvasPost-Impressionismportraitportraitfiguresofadresshairhands

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, color mixing, and capturing light and shadow on a figure. It also provides practice in creating texture with visible brushstrokes.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes of the figure and sofa, paying attention to proportions.
step 02
Block in the main color areas: skin, hair, dress, sofa, and background.
step 03
Start adding details to the face, focusing on the eyes, nose, and mouth.
step 04
Develop the folds and shadows in the dress, using darker blues and grays.
step 05
Add texture to the hair with short, broken brushstrokes.
step 06
Define the details of the hands, paying attention to the knuckles and fingernails.
step 07
Refine the background and sofa, adding subtle variations in color and tone.
step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.

color palette

primary · ultramarine blue · titanium white · cadmium red light · yellow ochre

secondary · burnt umber · raw sienna · gray

Mix blues and whites for the dress, adding touches of red for warmth. Use yellow ochre and white for the hair, with burnt umber for shadows. Create skin tones by mixing white, red, yellow ochre, and a touch of blue.

techniques