plate no. 1335
Girl
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering skin tones, as well as practicing loose, expressive brushwork to create texture and form.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 12 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure, focusing on the head, shoulders, and main features.
- step 02
Establish the background color with a thin wash of muted browns and greens.
- step 03
Block in the main areas of color for the skin, hair, and clothing, using a limited palette.
- step 04
Refine the facial features, paying attention to the subtle shifts in value and color to create form.
- step 05
Add details to the hair, using short, broken brushstrokes to suggest texture and volume.
- step 06
Develop the clothing with loose, expressive brushwork, capturing the folds and shadows.
- step 07
Adjust the overall values and colors to create a sense of depth and atmosphere.
- step 08
Add final highlights and details to bring the painting to life.
color palette
primary · raw umber · titanium white · yellow ochre
secondary · Prussian blue · burnt sienna
Mix skin tones using white, yellow ochre, and a touch of burnt sienna. Use Prussian blue and yellow ochre to create the green for the vest. Browns are achieved by mixing umber with small amounts of other colors.
techniques
- ·alla prima
- ·broken color
- ·scumbling
- ·dry brush
- ·color mixing
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the painting and losing the freshness of the brushwork.
- →Getting bogged down in details too early in the process.
- →Failing to capture the subtle shifts in value and color that create form.
- →Using colors straight from the tube without mixing them properly.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·Stretched canvas (12x16 inches)
- ·Oil paints (raw umber, titanium white, yellow ochre, Prussian blue, burnt sienna)
- ·Palette
- ·Palette knife
- ·Assorted brushes (round and flat)
- ·Odorless mineral spirits
- ·Linseed oil
- ·Rags
optional
- ·medium gloss
- ·easel
- ·mahl stick
Use a canvas with a smooth surface for best results. Consider using a limited palette to simplify the color mixing process.
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