plate no. 4392

July 1912 Woman's Home Companion Magazine Cover

Jessie Willcox Smith, 1912

oilRomanticismillustrationchilddollportraitfigureclothinghands

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, specifically rendering skin tones and soft light. It also provides practice in depicting fabric folds and the textures of a doll.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the child and doll, paying attention to the overall composition.
step 02
Establish the background color with a thin wash of neutral tones.
step 03
Block in the main areas of color for the skin, hair, clothing, and doll, focusing on accurate values.
step 04
Begin refining the skin tones, using subtle color variations and soft blending to create a realistic effect.
step 05
Add details to the hair, using small brushstrokes to suggest texture and highlights.
step 06
Work on the clothing, paying attention to the folds and shadows to create depth.
step 07
Paint the doll, capturing its unique features and colorful details.
step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to enhance the overall realism and create a sense of light.

color palette

primary · titanium white · yellow ochre · cadmium red light · raw umber

secondary · ultramarine blue · alizarin crimson · viridian

Achieve skin tones by mixing white, yellow ochre, and a touch of red. Use raw umber for shadows and add blue or crimson to darken the skin tones. Mix white with a touch of raw umber for the clothing.

techniques

·soft blending
·layering
·color mixing
·glazing
·scumbling

common pitfalls

→Overworking the skin tones, resulting in a muddy or unnatural appearance.
→Failing to capture the subtle color variations in the skin and clothing.
→Ignoring the importance of accurate proportions in the initial sketch.
→Getting lost in the details of the doll and neglecting the overall composition.