plate no. 0781

Maria De Fonseca, Daughter of a Portuguese-angolan Trader, Said to Be the Favourite Wife of Msiri, King of Katanga, in 1892.

oilRomanticismillustrationportraitfigurejewelryhairclothing

some experience helpful

Recreating this image will help students understand line weight and hatching techniques to create form and value. It also provides practice in rendering textures and details with a limited palette.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Begin with a light sketch of the overall composition, focusing on proportions and placement of the figure.
step 02
Outline the main shapes of the head, body, and clothing.
step 03
Start adding the primary lines that define the contours and major forms.
step 04
Use hatching and cross-hatching to build up the darker values and create shadows.
step 05
Pay close attention to the direction and spacing of the lines to suggest form and texture.
step 06
Render the details of the hair, jewelry, and clothing, using finer lines and more intricate patterns.
step 07
Refine the values and details, adding highlights and deepening shadows as needed.
step 08
Add the signature and any other text.

color palette

primary · black · white

secondary ·

This image relies solely on the contrast between black and white, so no color mixing is required.

techniques

·Hatching
·Cross-hatching
·Line weight variation
·Contour drawing

common pitfalls

→Creating lines that are too uniform in weight and spacing.
→Failing to establish a clear light source.
→Overworking the details and losing the overall form.
→Not paying attention to the direction of the lines, which can flatten the image.