plate no. 4066

Portrait of a lady

Alekos Kontopoulos, 1931

oilSocial Realismportraitportraitfiguredressfabricwomancouch

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering fabric textures with visible brushstrokes. It also provides practice in color mixing to achieve realistic skin tones and fabric colors.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 20 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure and background.
step 02
Establish the main light and shadow areas with a thin wash of color.
step 03
Begin blocking in the skin tones, focusing on accurate color mixing and subtle value changes.
step 04
Paint the dress, paying attention to the pattern and the way the fabric folds and drapes.
step 05
Develop the background, using loose brushstrokes to create depth and atmosphere.
step 06
Refine the details of the face, including the eyes, nose, and mouth.
step 07
Add highlights and shadows to the figure and background to create a sense of volume and form.
step 08
Make final adjustments to the composition and color balance.

color palette

primary · burnt sienna · yellow ochre · titanium white · cadmium red

secondary · ultramarine blue · raw umber · ivory black

Mix skin tones using burnt sienna, yellow ochre, and titanium white, with small amounts of cadmium red for warmth and ultramarine blue for shadows. Achieve the dress colors by mixing cadmium red and yellow ochre with varying amounts of white.

techniques