plate no. 8695
Portrait of a lady on the lake
Vittorio Matteo Corcos, 1909
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, particularly in rendering realistic skin tones and clothing folds. It also provides practice in creating atmospheric perspective and depicting architectural details.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
2
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 15 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the main shapes: the figure, the balcony, and the background landscape.
- step 02
Establish the horizon line and basic perspective of the balcony and lake.
- step 03
Block in the main color areas: sky, water, figure's dress, and balcony.
- step 04
Begin refining the figure's features, paying attention to proportions and likeness.
- step 05
Develop the details of the dress, focusing on the subtle folds and shadows.
- step 06
Add details to the balcony, including the balusters and shadows.
- step 07
Refine the background landscape, creating a sense of depth with atmospheric perspective.
- step 08
Add final highlights and details to the figure and the overall composition.
color palette
primary · titanium white · raw umber · yellow ochre · cerulean blue
secondary · burnt sienna · cadmium yellow light · ivory black
Achieve the subtle skin tones by mixing titanium white, yellow ochre, and a touch of burnt sienna. The dress is primarily titanium white with subtle additions of raw umber and cerulean blue for shadows. The water is a mix of cerulean blue, titanium white, and a touch of yellow ochre.
techniques
- ·portrait painting
- ·glazing
- ·atmospheric perspective
- ·rendering fabric folds
- ·architectural detail
common pitfalls
- →Getting the proportions of the figure wrong.
- →Overworking the details too early.
- →Failing to create a sense of depth in the background.
- →Making the skin tones look flat or unnatural.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas 18x24
- ·#2 round brush
- ·#6 flat brush
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·cerulean blue oil paint
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil
- ·turpentine
- ·medium gloss
Use a smooth canvas for best results. Consider using a medium to thin the paint for glazing.
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