plate no. 8410

The artist's mother, the Countess Adèle de Toulouse Lautrec at breakfast

oilImpressionismportraitportraitfigureinteriortablecupwindow

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in loose brushwork, capturing light and shadow with subtle color variations, and simplifying complex forms into expressive strokes. It's a good exercise in capturing a likeness without precise detail.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 10 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement of the figure, table, and window.
step 02
Establish the main light source and block in the large areas of shadow and light with thin washes.
step 03
Start building up the figure's form with loose, visible brushstrokes, paying attention to the planes of the face and the folds of the clothing.
step 04
Mix subtle variations of skin tones and apply them with short, broken strokes to create a sense of depth and texture.
step 05
Paint the background with a similar loose approach, suggesting details without rendering them precisely.
step 06
Add details like the cup and saucer, focusing on capturing their shape and the reflections on the table.
step 07
Refine the overall composition by adjusting values and adding highlights where needed.
step 08
Add final touches and details to the face and hands.

color palette

primary · titanium white · raw umber · burnt sienna

secondary · yellow ochre · ultramarine blue · alizarin crimson

Achieve the skin tones by mixing white, raw umber, and small amounts of alizarin crimson and yellow ochre. Use ultramarine blue and burnt sienna to create grays for shadows.

techniques

·broken color
·alla prima
·scumbling
·dry brushing
·implied detail

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details and losing the loose, expressive quality of the original.
→Using too much detail in the background, which can distract from the figure.
→Creating muddy colors by over-mixing.
→Failing to capture the subtle variations in light and shadow.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

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