plate no. 7274
Miss Thea Proctor
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and creating realistic skin tones, as well as practice blending and layering techniques to achieve depth and form.
technical profile
palette complexity
4
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
3
study guide
est. 15 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure, hat, and background.
- step 02
Establish the main areas of light and shadow with thin washes of color.
- step 03
Begin building up the skin tones on the face, using subtle color variations.
- step 04
Define the details of the dress, hat, and foliage, paying attention to texture.
- step 05
Refine the background, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere.
- step 06
Add the small white dots on the dress.
- step 07
Adjust the values and colors throughout the painting to create a cohesive and harmonious composition.
- step 08
Add final details and highlights.
color palette
primary · ivory black · raw umber · titanium white · cadmium red light
secondary · ultramarine blue · yellow ochre · alizarin crimson
Mix various shades of brown and gray for the foliage and background. Use white and red to create skin tones, adding small amounts of yellow ochre and blue for shadows.
techniques
- ·portraiture
- ·blending
- ·layering
- ·scumbling
- ·glazing
common pitfalls
- →Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
- →Overworking the skin tones, resulting in a muddy appearance.
- →Failing to create a sense of depth in the background.
- →Making the dots on the dress too uniform or evenly spaced.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·ivory black oil paint
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·cadmium red light oil paint
- ·ultramarine blue oil paint
- ·round brushes (sizes 2, 4, 6)
- ·linseed oil
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·medium gloss
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·alizarin crimson oil paint
Use a medium-grain canvas for best results. Consider using a limited palette to simplify the color mixing process.
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