plate no. 7454
Girls heads on Christmas-foliage background
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, particularly in capturing delicate features and subtle skin tones, as well as creating a cohesive color palette.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
2
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
3
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the face, hair, and background elements.
- step 02
Apply a thin wash of light beige/cream color to the background.
- step 03
Add the geometric pattern and mistletoe leaves in a diluted brown.
- step 04
Begin building up the skin tones with light pinks, peaches, and creams, paying attention to subtle shading.
- step 05
Paint the hair in dark brown, adding highlights with lighter browns and blacks.
- step 06
Add details to the eyes, lips, and earrings.
- step 07
Paint the flower detail in the hair with orange and brown hues.
- step 08
Add the 'Christmas Greetings!' text at the bottom.
color palette
primary · titanium white · raw umber · burnt sienna · cadmium red light
secondary · cerulean blue · yellow ochre
Mix white with small amounts of red and yellow to achieve the skin tones. Use raw umber diluted with thinner for the background pattern. Mix burnt sienna and cadmium red light for the flower.
techniques
- ·glazing
- ·soft blending
- ·color mixing
- ·fine detail brushwork
- ·scumbling
common pitfalls
- →overworking the skin tones
- →creating muddy colors
- →losing the delicate details
- →making the background too busy
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·acrylic paints
- ·#2 round brush
- ·#6 flat brush
- ·palette
- ·water
- ·soft cloth
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·retarder medium
- ·varnish
Use a smooth canvas for best results. Acrylics are recommended for their fast drying time.
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