plate no. 8680

Portrait of a Young Girl with an Orange

Lilla Cabot Perry, 1901

oilImpressionismportraitportraitfigurekimonoorangebambooindoor

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing skin tones and rendering fabric textures. It also provides practice in creating a harmonious color palette and using soft brushstrokes to achieve a painterly effect.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the main shapes: the figure, the kimono, and the background.
step 02
Block in the main color areas using thin washes of color.
step 03
Start building up the skin tones, paying attention to subtle variations in color and value.
step 04
Work on the kimono, capturing the folds and patterns with careful brushstrokes.
step 05
Add details to the face, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth.
step 06
Paint the orange, focusing on its roundness and color.
step 07
Refine the background, adding the bamboo details.
step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.

color palette

primary · yellow ochre · burnt umber · ivory black · titanium white

secondary · ultramarine blue · cadmium yellow · alizarin crimson

Mix skin tones by blending yellow ochre, burnt umber, and white, adding small amounts of red or blue for subtle variations. Achieve the kimono's dark tones by mixing burnt umber and ivory black.

techniques

·portraiture
·glazing
·scumbling
·color blending
·soft brushwork

common pitfalls

→Overworking the skin tones, resulting in a muddy appearance.
→Failing to capture the subtle variations in color and value.
→Ignoring the underlying structure of the face and body.
→Getting the proportions wrong.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·Stretched canvas (16x20 inches)
·Oil paints (yellow ochre, burnt umber, ivory black, titanium white, ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow, alizarin crimson)
·Round brushes (sizes 2, 4, 6)
·Flat brushes (sizes 4, 8)
·Palette
·Linseed oil
·Odorless mineral spirits
·Palette knife