plate no. 8730

Portrait of a Girl with Laurel Wreath

oil, canvasAcademicismportraitportraitfigurelaurel wreathhairclothingsky

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including accurate proportions, skin tone mixing, and rendering soft light and shadow. It also provides practice in depicting fabric and foliage.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the head, shoulders, and hand.
step 02
Establish the background color with a thin wash of blue and green.
step 03
Block in the main areas of color for the skin, hair, clothing, and laurel wreath.
step 04
Begin layering and blending the skin tones, paying attention to the subtle variations in light and shadow.
step 05
Refine the details of the face, including the eyes, nose, and mouth.
step 06
Add details to the hair, creating texture and volume with varied brushstrokes.
step 07
Paint the clothing, focusing on the folds and drapery.
step 08
Add the final details to the laurel wreath, leaves, and background.

color palette

primary · titanium white · burnt sienna · ultramarine blue

secondary · yellow ochre · cadmium red · viridian green

Skin tones are achieved by mixing white, burnt sienna, and small amounts of red, yellow ochre, and blue. The red clothing is a mix of cadmium red and burnt sienna. Greens are created by mixing blue and yellow, with touches of burnt sienna to dull the color.

techniques