plate no. 5907
Red Fruit
Kiyoshi Saito, 1950
suitable for beginners
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in simplifying forms and using a limited color palette to create a cohesive image. It also provides practice in creating texture with brushstrokes.
technical profile
palette complexity
2
brushwork visibility
3
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 6 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the figure, fruit, and background.
- step 02
Block in the background with a textured mix of blue and gray.
- step 03
Fill in the robe with a flat, solid red.
- step 04
Paint the face with a flat yellow tone.
- step 05
Add the hair with a flat black tone, including the green bow.
- step 06
Paint the fruit with a solid red, slightly darker than the robe.
- step 07
Add the hands with a brown tone.
- step 08
Refine edges and add subtle texture to the background.
color palette
primary · red · black · blue
secondary · yellow · green · brown
The background color can be achieved by mixing blue and black with a touch of white to create a textured, muted tone. The brown for the hands can be mixed from red, yellow, and black.
techniques
- ·flat color application
- ·textured background
- ·simplifying forms
- ·color blocking
- ·limited palette
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the background texture.
- →Making the colors too saturated.
- →Losing the simplified shapes.
- →Not creating enough contrast between the figure and the background.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·acrylic paints
- ·canvas or heavy paper
- ·flat brushes
- ·palette
- ·water
- ·pencil
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·texture medium
- ·varnish
Using heavy body acrylics will help create a more textured look. A slightly textured canvas will also enhance the effect.
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