plate no. 9476

Portrait of a Girl in a Red Dress (józefa Oderfeldówna)

oil, canvasImpressionismportraitportraitgirlred dresschairfigureindoor

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students practice portraiture, color mixing for skin tones and fabric, and creating soft, diffused backgrounds. It also provides an opportunity to study light and shadow on a figure.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement of the figure and the chair.
step 02
Block in the large shapes of color: the red dress, the background, and the skin tones.
step 03
Begin refining the skin tones, using subtle color variations to create form.
step 04
Work on the red dress, paying attention to the folds and shadows.
step 05
Develop the background, keeping it soft and diffused.
step 06
Add details to the face, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth.
step 07
Refine the chair and the object in the girl's hand.
step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.

color palette

primary · cadmium red · titanium white · yellow ochre

secondary · burnt umber · viridian · raw sienna

Mix skin tones using white, yellow ochre, and a touch of red and umber. Achieve the red dress color by mixing cadmium red with a touch of burnt umber for shadows and white for highlights. The background is a mix of white, viridian, and raw sienna.

techniques

·portraiture
·color mixing
·blending
·glazing
·scumbling

common pitfalls

→Overworking the skin tones, resulting in a flat or lifeless appearance.
→Making the background too detailed or distracting.
→Using too much red without considering the subtle variations in hue and value.
→Not paying attention to the proportions of the figure.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas
·oil paints (cadmium red, titanium white, yellow ochre, burnt umber, viridian, raw sienna)
·palette
·palette knife
·assorted brushes (round and flat)
·linseed oil
·turpentine
·rags