plate no. 9858

Portrait of a young girl

canvasNaturalismportraitportraitgirlhatdressflowersfigure

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering soft, diffused light. It also offers practice in depicting textures like lace and fabric.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the girl, hat, and dress.
step 02
Establish the overall value structure with a thin wash of burnt umber or a similar earth tone.
step 03
Block in the main colors of the skin, hair, hat, and dress, focusing on accurate color matching.
step 04
Begin refining the facial features, paying close attention to the eyes, nose, and mouth.
step 05
Develop the details of the hat, including the ribbons and flowers.
step 06
Add the lace details on the dress using small, delicate brushstrokes.
step 07
Refine the background, ensuring it complements the subject without distracting from it.
step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.

color palette

primary · titanium white · yellow ochre · burnt umber · cadmium green

secondary · alizarin crimson · ivory black

Mix various shades of skin tones using white, yellow ochre, burnt umber, and a touch of alizarin crimson. Achieve the green hues by mixing yellow ochre and cadmium green, adjusting the proportions for different shades.

techniques

·portrait painting
·glazing
·scumbling
·soft blending
·rendering fabric

common pitfalls

→Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
→Overworking the details too early in the process.
→Making the skin tones look flat and lifeless.
→Losing the overall sense of light and shadow.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas 16x20
·oil paints (titanium white, yellow ochre, burnt umber, cadmium green, alizarin crimson, ivory black)
·linseed oil
·turpentine or odorless mineral spirits
·assorted brushes (round and flat)
·palette
·palette knife
·rags