plate no. 5232

Teen and Children

oil, canvasAcademicismportraitfigureportraitchildapplesdressfoliage

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering skin tones, as well as understanding how to create soft, diffused lighting.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 20 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Create a light sketch outlining the figure's pose and proportions.
step 02
Block in the background with broad strokes of dark browns and greens.
step 03
Establish the main skin tones using a limited palette of reds, yellows, and whites.
step 04
Begin layering the dress, focusing on the folds and shadows.
step 05
Refine the facial features, paying close attention to the eyes and mouth.
step 06
Add details to the hair, creating soft curls and highlights.
step 07
Paint the apples, capturing their form and color variations.
step 08
Add final details to the background foliage and foreground elements.

color palette

primary · titanium white · yellow ochre · burnt sienna · ultramarine blue

secondary · alizarin crimson · viridian green · raw umber

Skin tones are achieved by mixing white, yellow ochre, and a touch of red. The dress color is created by mixing ultramarine blue with a touch of burnt sienna and white.

techniques

·Blending
·Glazing
·Scumbling
·Layering
·Chiaroscuro

common pitfalls

→Overworking the skin tones, resulting in a flat appearance.
→Failing to capture the subtle variations in light and shadow.
→Getting the proportions of the face wrong.
→Using too much detail in the background, distracting from the figure.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·Stretched canvas 18x24
·Oil paints (titanium white, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, alizarin crimson, raw umber)
·Round brushes (sizes 2, 4, 6)
·Flat brushes (sizes 4, 8)
·Palette
·Linseed oil
·Odorless mineral spirits
·Palette knife