plate no. 3797
Lady in white dress holding flowers
George Elgar Hicks, 1880
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students practice loose brushwork and capturing subtle variations in light and shadow to create form. It's also a good exercise in simplifying complex backgrounds and focusing on the figure.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 12 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Sketch the basic shapes of the figure and the background elements.
- step 02
Establish the overall color scheme with a thin wash of color.
- step 03
Block in the main areas of light and shadow on the figure and dress.
- step 04
Begin adding details to the face and hands, paying attention to proportions.
- step 05
Develop the background foliage with loose, expressive brushstrokes.
- step 06
Refine the folds and highlights in the dress to create a sense of volume.
- step 07
Add details to the flowers, using small brushes and vibrant colors.
- step 08
Adjust the overall values and colors to create a harmonious composition.
color palette
primary · titanium white · burnt umber · yellow ochre
secondary · alizarin crimson · sap green
Mix white with small amounts of umber and ochre to create the subtle tones of the dress. Use crimson and white for the flowers. Mix greens and browns for the foliage.
techniques
- ·dry brushing
- ·scumbling
- ·blending
- ·layering
- ·alla prima
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the details and losing the loose, painterly quality.
- →Getting the proportions of the figure wrong.
- →Making the dress too bright and flat.
- →Creating a background that is too distracting.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas 16x20
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·burnt umber oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·alizarin crimson oil paint
- ·sap green oil paint
- ·round brushes (sizes 2, 4, 6)
- ·linseed oil
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·odorless mineral spirits
- ·retouch varnish
Use a medium-grain canvas for best results. Consider using a limited palette to simplify the color mixing process.
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