plate no. 7721
Mother and Child
Louay Kayyali, 1960
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in creating subtle tonal variations and using texture to create depth and interest. It also provides practice in capturing the emotional connection between figures.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figures.
- step 02
Establish a mid-tone background wash using a mixture of raw umber and white.
- step 03
Block in the darker areas of the figures and background with a thin layer of paint.
- step 04
Begin building up the lighter areas of the skin tones using subtle variations of white, raw sienna, and a touch of red.
- step 05
Add texture by dabbing and stippling paint with a stiff brush.
- step 06
Refine the details of the faces, paying attention to the subtle shadows and highlights.
- step 07
Glaze a thin layer of red over the mother's garment.
- step 08
Add final touches and highlights to enhance the overall effect.
color palette
primary · raw umber · titanium white · raw sienna
secondary · cadmium red light · ivory black
Achieve skin tones by mixing white, raw sienna, and a touch of red. Create shadows by adding small amounts of raw umber or black to the skin tone mixture. The background is primarily raw umber and white, with subtle variations.
techniques
- ·dry brushing
- ·scumbling
- ·glazing
- ·tonal layering
- ·limited palette
common pitfalls
- →Overblending, which can flatten the image.
- →Using too much black, which can make the painting look muddy.
- →Ignoring the subtle tonal variations in the skin tones.
- →Getting the proportions of the figures wrong.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·raw sienna oil paint
- ·cadmium red light oil paint
- ·ivory black oil paint
- ·#4 round brush
- ·#8 flat brush
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil
- ·odorless mineral spirits
A textured canvas can enhance the effect of the dry brushing technique.
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