plate no. 9065
Little girl in the woods
Giovanni Fattori, 1890
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in depicting natural textures and rendering light and shadow on organic forms. It also provides practice in capturing the essence of a figure within a landscape.
technical profile
palette complexity
4
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
3
study guide
est. 12 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the main shapes: the tree trunk, the figure, and the background elements.
- step 02
Establish the basic color blocks for the sky, foliage, tree trunk, and ground.
- step 03
Begin layering paint on the tree trunk, paying attention to the light and shadow areas.
- step 04
Develop the foliage using broken brushstrokes and varying shades of green and yellow.
- step 05
Add details to the figure, focusing on capturing the likeness and clothing folds.
- step 06
Refine the ground texture with short, directional brushstrokes and earth tones.
- step 07
Add highlights and shadows to enhance the three-dimensionality of the painting.
- step 08
Make final adjustments to the composition and color balance.
color palette
primary · raw umber · sap green · titanium white
secondary · yellow ochre · burnt sienna · cadmium yellow light
Mix greens by blending sap green with yellow ochre and titanium white for lighter tones. Create shadows on the tree trunk by mixing raw umber with burnt sienna and a touch of blue.
techniques
- ·broken color
- ·scumbling
- ·dry brushing
- ·alla prima
- ·layering
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the details and losing the freshness of the brushstrokes.
- →Failing to establish a clear light source and consistent shadows.
- →Using too much paint and creating a muddy effect.
- →Neglecting the importance of color temperature in depicting depth.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas 12x16
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·sap green oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·burnt sienna oil paint
- ·cadmium yellow light oil paint
- ·#4 round brush
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil
- ·medium gloss
Use a medium-tooth canvas to allow for good paint adhesion and texture.
tips & new artworks in your inbox
no spam — unsubscribe anytime.
or to save artworks, chat, and track progress
in this vein
