plate no. 0161

Portrait of a girl, bust-length, in a black dress and pearl necklace

oil, panelBaroqueportraitportraitgirldresspearl necklacefigureclothing

some experience helpful

Recreating this portrait will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness, rendering skin tones, and creating a sense of depth through subtle value changes. It also provides practice in painting fabrics and jewelry.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Create a light sketch of the girl's pose and proportions on the canvas.
step 02
Block in the main areas of color: skin, hair, dress, and background.
step 03
Start refining the skin tones, paying attention to highlights and shadows.
step 04
Develop the details of the face, including the eyes, nose, and mouth.
step 05
Work on the dress, adding details like folds and embellishments.
step 06
Paint the pearl necklace, capturing its subtle highlights and shadows.
step 07
Refine the background, ensuring it complements the figure.
step 08
Add final details and adjust values as needed.

color palette

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

secondary · yellow ochre · raw sienna · ultramarine blue

Mix skin tones by blending white, red, yellow ochre, and a touch of umber. Use ivory black and umber for the dress, adding hints of blue for depth. Create the pearl necklace with white and a touch of grey.

techniques

·portraiture
·blending
·glazing
·chiaroscuro
·value studies

common pitfalls

→Overmixing colors, resulting in muddy tones.
→Ignoring the subtle value changes in the skin.
→Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
→Failing to create a sense of depth in the background.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·Stretched canvas (12x16 inches)
·Oil paints (ivory black, titanium white, burnt umber, cadmium red light, yellow ochre)
·Round brushes (sizes 2, 4, 6)
·Flat brush (size 8)
·Palette
·Linseed oil
·Odorless mineral spirits
·Palette knife