plate no. 5775

Portrait of Miss Scobell in a Bathchair (The Convalescent)

oil, canvasImpressionismportraitportraitwomanhatfeathersdresschair

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in loose brushwork, color mixing for skin tones, and capturing the essence of a subject rather than precise details. It's a good exercise in impressionistic portraiture.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 10 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure, hat, and chair.
step 02
Establish the background with broad, loose strokes of color.
step 03
Block in the main areas of color for the skin, dress, and hat, focusing on value and temperature.
step 04
Begin to refine the facial features, paying attention to the subtle shifts in color and light.
step 05
Add details to the hat and feathers, using small, expressive brushstrokes.
step 06
Develop the folds and textures of the dress with varied brushwork.
step 07
Refine the background and chair, ensuring they support the figure without distracting from it.
step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.

color palette

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

secondary · alizarin crimson · ultramarine blue · raw umber

Achieve skin tones by mixing white, yellow ochre, and a touch of alizarin crimson. Use ultramarine blue and burnt sienna to create muted greens and grays for the background and chair.

techniques

·broken color
·scumbling
·alla prima
·impasto
·color temperature

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details and losing the loose, impressionistic feel.
→Creating muddy colors by over-mixing.
→Failing to capture the subtle variations in skin tone.
→Ignoring the importance of light and shadow in creating form.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas (16x20 inches)
·oil paints (titanium white, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue, ivory black, raw umber)
·assorted brushes (round and flat, sizes 2-8)
·palette
·linseed oil
·turpentine or odorless mineral spirits
·palette knife
·rags