plate no. 6996

Portrait of Ilona Lotz

oilRomanticismportraitportraitfigurehairdressface

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering soft light and shadow. It also provides practice in painting hair and fabric textures.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the oval composition and the basic proportions of the figure.
step 02
Block in the background with dark, warm tones, establishing the overall value range.
step 03
Roughly define the shapes of the face, hair, and dress with thin washes of color.
step 04
Begin building up the skin tones, focusing on subtle shifts in color and value.
step 05
Develop the hair, using varied brushstrokes to suggest texture and movement.
step 06
Add details to the dress, paying attention to the folds and highlights.
step 07
Refine the facial features, capturing the likeness and expression.
step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to enhance the form and create depth.

color palette

primary · titanium white · burnt umber · yellow ochre · cadmium red light

secondary · ultramarine blue · raw sienna

Mix skin tones by blending white, yellow ochre, and a touch of cadmium red. Use burnt umber and ultramarine blue to create dark shadows. Add raw sienna to warm up the hair color.

techniques

·portraiture
·blending
·scumbling
·glazing
·rendering

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details too early in the process.
→Using too much paint and losing the subtle gradations of color.
→Failing to capture the likeness of the subject.
→Ignoring the overall value structure and creating a flat image.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas (16x20 inches)
·oil paints (titanium white, burnt umber, yellow ochre, cadmium red light, ultramarine blue, raw sienna)
·linseed oil
·odorless mineral spirits
·assorted brushes (round and flat)
·palette
·palette knife