plate no. 0177

Portrait of a Courtesan

oil, canvasBaroqueportraitportraitfigurewomanclothingflowersjewelry

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including accurate proportions, skin tone mixing, and rendering of fabric textures. It also provides practice in creating a focal point and using value contrast to create depth.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 20 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure, focusing on the head, shoulders, and hand.
step 02
Establish the background with a dark, muted tone.
step 03
Block in the main areas of color for the skin, hair, clothing, and flowers.
step 04
Begin layering and blending the skin tones, paying attention to highlights and shadows.
step 05
Develop the details of the clothing, including the patterns and textures.
step 06
Refine the features of the face, focusing on the eyes, nose, and mouth.
step 07
Add the details of the flowers and jewelry.
step 08
Make final adjustments to the values and colors to create a cohesive and realistic portrait.

color palette

primary · ivory black · raw umber · titanium white · cadmium red light

secondary · yellow ochre · burnt sienna

Mix skin tones by blending white, red, yellow ochre, and a touch of raw umber. Use ivory black and raw umber for the dark background and shadows. Mix white with small amounts of other colors to create highlights.

techniques