Portrait of a Girl

approach — 8 steps

color palette

primary · titanium white · ultramarine blue · burnt umber · yellow ochre

secondary · cadmium red · ivory black

Mix skin tones using white, yellow ochre, burnt umber, and a touch of red. Use ultramarine blue and burnt umber for the dark background. Create the blue dress by mixing ultramarine blue with a touch of black and white.

techniques

• ·portraiture
• ·blending
• ·layering
• ·value studies
• ·color mixing

common pitfalls

• →Getting the proportions wrong in the initial sketch.
• →Overworking the skin tones and losing the subtle variations in color.
• →Creating harsh lines and edges instead of soft transitions.
• →Ignoring the importance of value contrast in creating depth.