plate no. 0068

Knitting Girl

oilDivisionismgenre paintingfiguresheepgrassvillageskyfence

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in color mixing to achieve subtle variations and practice applying broken color techniques to create texture and light.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement of the figure, sheep, and village.
step 02
Establish the horizon line and the main shapes of the buildings.
step 03
Block in the large areas of color: sky, grass, figure's clothing, and sheep.
step 04
Begin applying broken color strokes to the grass, using various shades of green, yellow, and brown.
step 05
Develop the details of the figure, paying attention to the folds in the clothing and the facial features.
step 06
Add texture to the sheep's wool using short, broken strokes of white, yellow, and gray.
step 07
Refine the details of the village in the background, using small strokes to suggest the buildings and trees.
step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.

color palette

primary · ultramarine blue · yellow ochre · titanium white · raw umber

secondary · burnt sienna · cadmium yellow light · alizarin crimson

Mix various shades of green for the grass by combining yellow ochre, ultramarine blue, and white. Use burnt sienna and white to create the warm tones in the sheep's wool. Achieve the blue-gray of the figure's dress by mixing ultramarine blue, raw umber, and white.

techniques