plate no. 6884

Portrait of a girl A Sleeve-board

pencil, stumpRealismportraitportraitfiguregirlclothinghead coveringhands

what to study here

A tightly cropped pencil and stump portrait that shows how value zones, edge control, and hatching can organize a figure against bare paper.

Study how three value zones separate the figure into readable parts. The vision guide describes a girl in three-quarter view, eyes cast down, lit from the front-left so the right side of the face falls into shadow. Paper white serves as both background and highlight on forehead and cheekbone. The pale shawl sits between the face and the dark dress, which keeps the figure from reading as a dark silhouette. Look at how edges change: the hair outline is crisp, while the cheekbone and jaw are soft and stumped. The dress is built with directional downward hatching that suggests woven cloth without describing threads. Darkest accents sit in the hair, eye sockets, neck shadow, and dress. Notice that stumping appears to be confined mainly to the face and shawl, so the hatching elsewhere stays visible. Copy the value order, face mid-light, shawl light-mid, dress dark, before attempting any detail.

key decision

Daumier keeps the shawl light so it bridges the luminous face and the dense, hatched dress. He also restricts soft blending to the face and leaves the hair and dress as visible hatching.

recreation guide

This artwork, 'Portrait of a girl A Sleeve-board,' is a drawing by Honoré Daumier, executed in pencil and stump. Daumier is historically recognized as a serious painter and printmaker whose work, while loosely associated with Realism, often blurred the boundaries between caricature and fine art (Source 6). His approach to the human figure was characterized by a 'keen sense of construction' and an understanding of structure, allowing him to render the form with success despite the complex effects of light and shade (Source 3). Unlike many contemporaries who focused on idealized beauty, Daumier’s realism was described as a 'second nature,' capturing the truthfulness of his subjects without necessarily adhering to the ideological strictures of the Realist movement (Source 8). This piece likely reflects his habit of exploring subjects repetitively to exhaust their thematic potential, focusing on the character and action of the sitter rather than mere decorative likeness (Source 8).

estimated time

10-15 hours over 3-4 sessions

materials

4 items

steps

4 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Graphite pencils (various hardness, e.g., 2B-6B)	To create the initial outline and internal drawing, allowing for varied line weight and shadow indication.	—
Paper stump (tortillon)	To blend and soften graphite marks, creating the 'half-tones' and smooth transitions characteristic of Daumier's stump work.	—
Medium-grain paper (e.g., toned or white)	To provide a surface that accepts both dry graphite and blended stump work without excessive tooth.	—
Kneaded eraser	To lift graphite for highlights and correct proportions, essential for the 'scientific basis' of construction.	—

preparation

surface prep

The surface should be clean and free of oils. While Daumier often worked on paper for lithography and drawing, the source notes that for crayon-like media, the support should have a 'rough natural surface' or be prepared to hold the powder-like medium (Source 4). For a pencil and stump drawing, a standard drawing paper with slight tooth is appropriate to allow the stump to blend effectively without smearing excessively.

underdrawing

Daumier’s approach to the figure relied on a 'synthetic method reasoned carefully from beginning to end,' where the element of chance is not allowed a place (Source 1). The underdrawing should focus on the 'construction of the figure,' ensuring that proportions 'dovetail and fit' like a map (Source 1). The artist must possess a 'clear knowledge of its intricate forms' and a 'habit of simple treatment' to apply this knowledge artistically (Source 3). The initial lines should establish the 'bony structure' and 'location, attachment and function of the muscles' before adding surface details (Source 3).

underpainting

Not applicable for this dry medium. However, the concept of 'body-colors' where transparency varies with the medium is relevant to understanding how Daumier might have approached tonal values in other media; here, the 'underpainting' equivalent is the initial light graphite sketch that establishes the 'decided shadows' and 'half-tones' (Source 1).

color palette

Graphite Grey/Black

Pure graphite

General use in this artist's palette for line and shadow.

Paper White/Tone

Unmarked paper

Highlights and mid-tones, preserved by careful erasing or light application.

composition

Daumier characteristically focused on the 'human figure' rather than landscapes, often depicting working people or domestic scenes with a critical eye on class distinctions (Source 8). The composition likely emphasizes the 'action' and 'character' of the sitter, using the sleeve-board as a contextual prop that defines her social role. The arrangement should feel 'synthetically considered,' with every element fitting together logically (Source 1).

step by step

underdrawing→refining→finishing

underdrawing

step 01
Begin with a light, structural sketch of the figure, focusing on the 'bony structure' and 'muscle attachment' points. Ensure the proportions are correct, checking that 'everything must dovetail and fit' (Source 1).
Tip — Avoid detailing the face or clothing until the underlying anatomy is solid. Think of it as drawing a map where every county (body part) must fit (Source 1).
Structural Construction

refining

step 02
Indicate 'decided shadows' and 'half-tones' using the pencil. This step involves 'internal drawing' to judge proportion and prove the correctness of the outline (Source 1).
Tip — Use the pencil to block in the major light and shadow areas, treating the form as a three-dimensional solid (Source 3).
Shadow Mapping
step 03
Use the stump to blend the graphite, creating smooth transitions between tones. This mimics the 'half-tones' mentioned in the construction process, softening the hard lines of the initial sketch.
Tip — Be careful not to over-blend, which can lose the 'internal drawing' structure. The goal is to render the 'surface of the body' enveloped in light and shade (Source 3).
Stump Blending

finishing

step 04
Refine the 'character' and 'action' of the figure. Daumier’s realism was a 'second nature,' so focus on the truthful representation of the sitter’s posture and expression, avoiding idealization (Source 8).
Tip — Check for 'harmony' in the tonal values, ensuring that the 'gradation of lights and shades' is pleasing even if not strictly 'true' to every minute detail (Source 5).
Character Rendering

critical techniques

Synthetic Construction

A method where the figure is built from a 'scientific basis,' reasoning from beginning to end without chance. This involves understanding the 'intricate forms' and 'bony structure' beneath the surface (Source 1, Source 3).

Stump Blending

Using a stump to soften graphite marks, creating the 'half-tones' and smooth tonal transitions that define Daumier’s drawing style. This technique allows for the rendering of 'light and shade' and 'delicate tone' (Source 3).

Realistic Observation

Daumier’s realism was not an ideological choice but a 'second nature,' capturing the 'truthfulness of his vision' and 'powerful directness' (Source 8). This involves observing the 'character' and 'action' of the subject rather than idealizing them.

common pitfalls

→Focusing on surface details (clothing, facial features) before establishing the underlying 'construction' and 'proportion' (Source 1).
→Allowing 'chance' to dictate the drawing rather than using a 'synthetic method reasoned carefully from beginning to end' (Source 1).
→Over-blending with the stump, which can obscure the 'internal drawing' and 'bony structure' necessary for a successful figure rendering (Source 3).
→Ignoring the 'harmony' of tones, resulting in a picture that may be 'true' in color but 'offend in its gradation of lights and shades' (Source 5).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·Specific details of the girl’s clothing, facial expression, or the exact layout of the sleeve-board are not described in the sources, so these must be inferred from general knowledge of Daumier’s domestic scenes or left to the artist’s discretion.
·The exact type of paper Daumier used for this specific drawing is not specified, though general practices for crayon/pencil are discussed (Source 4).
·The specific lighting conditions of the original scene are not described, so the artist must decide on the light source based on general principles of shadow and half-tone (Source 1).

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- FORESHORTENING OF THE LEGS LINES CONSTRUCTION OF THE FIGURE — applied to Underdrawing and structural construction steps
The Human Figure↗
- DRAWING THE HUMAN FIGURE — applied to Understanding anatomy, construction, and the use of stump for tonal blending
Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- CHAPTER XII. CRAYONS, DISTEMPERING, EGG-PAINTING, WATER — applied to Understanding tonal harmony and the nature of dry media

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia bio — Honore Daumier↗
- part 1 and part 8 — applied to Artist’s style, realism, and approach to character

Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.

read from the painting

observed from the image, not the label

6 dominant colors, measured

what the eye sees

A three-quarter portrait of a young girl gazing downward in a contemplative pose, with light raking from the front-left that casts the right side of her face into shadow. The figure wears a dark dress with a pale shawl draped across her shoulders and a textured head covering that sits prominently in the composition. The eye is drawn first to her face, particularly to the subtle modeling of the cheekbone and jaw, then follows down through the graceful neck to the orchestrated play of fabric—the light shawl acting as a bridge between the luminous face and the dense, hatched mass of the dress. The composition is tightly cropped against a nearly white background, making the figure emerge as a contained study.

value structure

The drawing operates across three distinct value zones: brilliant white paper as highlight and background, a rich middle range of grays that model the face and light drapery, and deep charcoal blacks concentrated in the hair, dress fabric, and facial shadows. The darkest accents sit primarily along the right side of the face and throughout the hair structure. When you squint, the value progression reads as face (mid-light) emerging from shawl (light-mid) emerging from dress (dark)—a clear recession. The shawl's light tone is critical; it prevents the figure from reading as a dark silhouette and creates atmospheric lift.

observed palette and mixes

#ffffff
Paper white, untouched
Background, highest highlights on forehead and cheekbone
#d7d8d6
Light gray (HB pencil, light pressure)
Shawl fabric and collar area, face mid-tones
#858a83
Mid-gray (HB to 2B, medium coverage)
Face shadow side, clothing mid-tones, texture in dress
#292e25
Dark charcoal (4B or heavy 2B layering)
Hair, deep dress shadows, eye sockets, cast shadows on neck

edges and brushwork

Daumier handles edges with deliberate variety: the hair outline is crisp and decisive, reading as a contained mass; transitions across the face are soft and blended, especially where cheekbone curves into shadow, creating anatomical credibility. The dress fabric is built through directional cross-hatching with a consistent downward rhythm that suggests woven material without describing every thread. The shawl uses gentler stumping and lighter marks to convey a softer fabric. No edge is arbitrary—every boundary either dissolves to suggest form or remains sharp to define structure.

a working sequence

01
Proportional Map
Lightly plot the head position, noting how the face sits in the upper portion with significant space below for shoulders. Mark the three-quarter angle with a center line down the face, then locate the eye line and the downward tilt of the gaze. The head covering occupies roughly the top third of the head mass and should be mapped with several guide marks for its characteristic texture bumps.
02
Establish Major Value Masses
Block in the two main zones: the pale background surrounding the figure, and the dark dress as a large shape. Use light pressure to reserve the face and shawl as mid-light areas. This creates the compositional scaffolding—light figure against lighter background, held by the dark dress anchor below.
03
Model the Face Structure
Build the face through careful value gradation. Start with the lit side (left), laying in the cheekbone and jaw with smooth mid-tone. Develop the shadow side (right) with cross-hatched mid-dark tones, respecting the bone structure underneath. Work the nose as a subtle plane change rather than an outline. Pay close attention to the eye sockets—they're crucial to likeness and should read as set-back forms, not drawn lines.
04
Develop the Hair Mass
Build hair as directional mark-making that follows the head's form. Use short, confident strokes that radiate outward from the crown and down around the sides. The hair over the ears and back of the head should show dense cross-hatching and varied line length to suggest texture without fussiness. Leave the hair at the temple slightly lighter where it catches light from the front-left.
05
Define the Shawl and Collar
Treat the shawl as a distinct value plane—keep it light but show subtle gradation to suggest its drape. Use gentle hatching to define folds where it meets the shoulder, particularly where it sits against the dark dress. The collar area should read as a transition: lighter than the dress but still substantial enough to frame the neck and define the figure's three-quarter turn.
06
Build the Dress Fabric
The dress is the largest dark mass and must maintain consistent visual weight. Use downward directional hatching across the bodice and shoulders to suggest woven fabric texture. Vary your pencil pressure to create soft shadow gradations around the arm and side, but keep the overall tone rich and unified. Leave a subtle highlight along the shoulder edge where light grazes the fabric.
07
Refine Edges and Transitions
Move through the drawing blending key transitions—especially along the jaw, cheekbone, and where the shawl meets the dress. Some edges (hair outline, sharp folds in the shawl) should remain crisp; others (face into neck, shoulder into background) should soften. Use the kneaded eraser to recover highlights or soften areas that feel too heavy.
08
Final Value Adjustment and Cohesion
Step back and assess overall contrast. Ensure the darkest darks in the hair and dress feel truly dark enough against the mid-tones of the face. If needed, add one more layer of cross-hatching to the hair and dress to deepen. Soften any stray marks, and verify that the figure reads as one coherent form rather than separate pieces. A light fixative spray will preserve your stumping work.

where studies of this painting go wrong

The downward gaze is deceptively subtle—the eyes are not looking straight down but at an angle. Misplacing them even slightly breaks the introspective mood; map their position carefully before committing to shading.
The shawl and dress edge is a critical value separator. If this transition is too hard or too soft, the figure collapses into a dark blob. Test this boundary early with a value scale.
Hair texture can easily become chaotic or matted. Maintain consistent directional marks throughout; let the cross-hatching follow the skull's form rather than becoming decorative scribble.
Over-blending kills the drawing's energy and crisp character. Reserve stumping for face transitions only; keep dress and hair mark-work visible and purposeful.
The head covering's texture comes from specific rhythm and form, not random marks. Map its structure (bumps and folds) before hatching, or it reads as formless bulk.

measured difficulty