plate no. 0768
Portrait of a Venetian Woman
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering fabric folds. It also provides practice in creating subtle value shifts to model form.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
3
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 20 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure and background.
- step 02
Establish the overall value structure with a thin wash of burnt umber.
- step 03
Block in the main areas of color: skin tones, dress, curtain, and background.
- step 04
Begin refining the skin tones, paying attention to subtle shifts in value and color.
- step 05
Develop the folds and highlights in the dress and curtain, using a combination of blending and layering.
- step 06
Add details to the face, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth.
- step 07
Refine the details of the hands and the fabric they hold.
- step 08
Make final adjustments to the values and colors to create a sense of depth and realism.
color palette
primary · burnt umber · titanium white · yellow ochre
secondary · cadmium red light · ivory black
Achieve skin tones by mixing titanium white, yellow ochre, and a touch of cadmium red light. Use burnt umber and ivory black to create the darker values in the dress and background. Mix white with burnt umber for the lighter fabric.
techniques
- ·underpainting
- ·glazing
- ·blending
- ·scumbling
- ·chiaroscuro
common pitfalls
- →Getting the proportions of the figure wrong.
- →Overworking the skin tones and losing the subtle value shifts.
- →Making the fabric folds look flat and lifeless.
- →Failing to capture the likeness of the subject.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·burnt umber oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·cadmium red light oil paint
- ·ivory black oil paint
- ·linseed oil
- ·assorted brushes (round and flat)
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·medium gloss
- ·turpentine
Use high-quality oil paints for best results. A medium-sized canvas (16x20 inches) is a good starting point.
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