plate no. 8636
Maria Ivanovna de Traversay
Carle Vernet, 1819
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, particularly in rendering skin tones and soft, subtle gradations. It also provides practice in capturing delicate details like jewelry and lace.
technical profile
palette complexity
4
brushwork visibility
2
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
5
study guide
est. 12 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the oval shape and the basic proportions of the figure.
- step 02
Block in the background with a mid-tone brown, creating a soft gradient.
- step 03
Establish the main shapes of the dress and hair with their base colors.
- step 04
Begin layering skin tones, focusing on subtle shifts in value and hue.
- step 05
Add details to the hair, including curls and highlights.
- step 06
Paint the dress, paying attention to the folds and shadows.
- step 07
Render the jewelry and lace with fine detail.
- step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to refine the portrait.
color palette
primary · red · brown · white · black
secondary · pink · grey · gold
Achieve skin tones by mixing white, red, yellow, and a touch of brown. Create the dress color by mixing red with a touch of black for shadows and white for highlights.
techniques
- ·blending
- ·layering
- ·glazing
- ·dry brushing
- ·scumbling
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the skin tones, resulting in a muddy appearance.
- →Failing to capture the subtle gradations in the background.
- →Making the dress appear flat and lifeless.
- →Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·Stretched canvas or watercolor paper
- ·Acrylic or oil paints (red, brown, white, black, yellow)
- ·Round brushes (various sizes)
- ·Flat brushes (various sizes)
- ·Palette
- ·Palette knife
- ·Linseed oil or acrylic medium
- ·Soft cloth
optional
- ·Easel
- ·Reference photo print
- ·Retarder medium
Use high-quality paints for best results. A smooth canvas surface will aid in blending.
tips & new artworks in your inbox
no spam — unsubscribe anytime.
or to save artworks, chat, and track progress
in this vein
related artworks
Portrait of Sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon working at the bust of Voltaire
Marie-Gabrielle Capet
The Roman antiquities, t. 1, Plate XXXI. Temple of Antonius and Faustina.
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Portrait of Louis d'Orleans
Franz Xaver Winterhalter
Rooftops in the shadows
Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes
The Schmadribach Falls
Joseph Anton Koch
A Scene from 'As You Like It' by William Shakespeare
William Hamilton
Portrait of Klementyna Ostrowska Née Sanguszko
Vincenzo Camuccini
Self-Portrait
Anton Raphael Mengs