plate no. 0011

Married Life

Roger de La Fresnaye, 1913

oil, canvasCubismgenre paintingfiguresinteriorbookstableportraitstill life

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students understand simplified forms and how to use color to define planes. It will also develop skills in representing complex scenes with a limited palette.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the main shapes and composition using a pencil.
step 02
Block in the large areas of color, focusing on the overall shapes and relationships.
step 03
Refine the shapes and add details to the figures and objects.
step 04
Begin to define the light and shadow areas, using darker and lighter values of your colors.
step 05
Add details to the faces and hands, simplifying the forms.
step 06
Refine the edges of the shapes, softening some and sharpening others.
step 07
Add final highlights and details.
step 08
Step back and adjust the painting as needed to achieve a cohesive look.

color palette

primary · raw umber · titanium white · cadmium red light · ultramarine blue

secondary · yellow ochre · viridian green · ivory black

Mixes of raw umber and white create the skin tones. Vary the skin tones by adding small amounts of red or blue. Use ultramarine blue and raw umber to create the darks.

techniques

·blocking in
·simplified forms
·color planes
·geometric shapes
·limited palette

common pitfalls

→Overcomplicating the shapes
→Using too many colors
→Losing the overall composition
→Not simplifying the forms enough

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·Stretched canvas 16x20
·Oil paints (raw umber, titanium white, cadmium red light, ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, viridian green, ivory black)
·Palette
·Assorted brushes (flat and round)
·Linseed oil
·Odorless mineral spirits
·Palette knife
·Rags