plate no. 5938

Jeune Femme Au Chat

oilPost-Impressionismportraitfigurecatportraitchairclothinghair

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, color mixing for skin tones, and rendering soft textures. It also provides practice in creating a harmonious color scheme with limited colors.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure, cat, and chair.
step 02
Block in the background with a thin wash of green.
step 03
Establish the main values on the figure and cat using a limited palette.
step 04
Develop the skin tones by layering subtle washes of color.
step 05
Add details to the cat's fur, paying attention to the direction of the strokes.
step 06
Refine the details of the clothing and hair.
step 07
Add highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.
step 08
Make final adjustments to the composition and color balance.

color palette

primary · titanium white · burnt sienna · raw umber · sap green

secondary · alizarin crimson · ultramarine blue

Achieve skin tones by mixing burnt sienna, raw umber, alizarin crimson, and titanium white. The background green can be created by mixing sap green with raw umber and a touch of blue.

techniques