plate no. 6250

Portrait of an approximately 12-year-old Italian girl

Paula Modersohn-Becker, 1906

oilExpressionismportraitfigureportraitgirldressbackgroundheadpiece

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students practice simplified portraiture and learn to capture a likeness using basic shapes and color blocking. It also emphasizes the importance of layering and blending to achieve subtle tonal variations.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the figure, focusing on proportions and placement on the canvas.
step 02
Block in the background with a thin layer of turquoise, followed by the blue horizontal area.
step 03
Establish the skin tones with a base layer of light beige, adding touches of pink for the cheeks and hands.
step 04
Paint the red shirt, blending in darker shades for shadows and lighter shades for highlights.
step 05
Block in the skirt with a mix of brown and yellow, adding vertical stripes of blue and green.
step 06
Define the facial features, paying attention to the placement of the eyes, nose, and mouth.
step 07
Add the yellow headpiece with short, textured brushstrokes.
step 08
Refine the details and adjust the colors as needed to match the original painting.

color palette

primary · turquoise · red · beige · brown

secondary · yellow · blue · green · pink

Mix turquoise by combining blue and green with white. Achieve skin tones by mixing beige with touches of red and yellow. Create the brown for the skirt by mixing red, yellow, and blue.

techniques