plate no. 4588

Portrait of a Young Malay Girl

Irma Stern, 1939

oilPost-Impressionismportraitportraitfigureheadscarfjewelryfaceyoung woman

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in color mixing for skin tones and capturing the texture of fabric with visible brushstrokes. It also provides practice in portrait composition and capturing likeness.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 10 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes of the head, headscarf, and shoulders, paying attention to proportions.
step 02
Block in the background with a base layer of green, varying the tones slightly.
step 03
Establish the main areas of light and shadow on the face with broad strokes of color.
step 04
Begin layering colors to build up the skin tones, mixing different shades of yellow, brown, and pink.
step 05
Paint the headscarf, focusing on capturing the folds and textures with short, directional brushstrokes.
step 06
Add the details of the jewelry, using highlights and shadows to create a sense of depth.
step 07
Refine the facial features, paying attention to the eyes, nose, and mouth.
step 08
Add final touches and highlights to the entire painting.

color palette

primary · yellow ochre · raw umber · titanium white · cadmium yellow

secondary · sap green · alizarin crimson · burnt sienna

Achieve skin tones by mixing yellow ochre, raw umber, and titanium white. Use alizarin crimson for subtle pink undertones. Mix greens with yellow and blue, adding white for lighter shades.

techniques

·broken color
·impasto
·scumbling
·color layering
·alla prima

common pitfalls

→Overmixing colors, resulting in muddy tones.
→Neglecting the importance of value contrast.
→Getting bogged down in details too early.
→Not paying attention to the direction of brushstrokes.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

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