plate no. 1697
The Cradle
Berthe Morisot, 1872
experienced study
This painting would develop skills in color temperature relationships, particularly warm and cool balance, and the challenging technique of painting translucent white fabrics with subtle color variations.
technical profile
palette complexity
4
brushwork visibility
3
value contrast
4
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 12 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Begin with a careful contour drawing, establishing the woman's pose and cradle placement
- step 02
Block in the darkest values first - the woman's hair and jacket, background shadows
- step 03
Establish the mid-tones of the flesh and fabric with warm undertones
- step 04
Paint the white drapery using warm and cool grays, never pure white
- step 05
Develop facial features with soft modeling and minimal detail
- step 06
Add the subtle pink and coral accents in the fabric and ribbons
- step 07
Refine the translucent quality of the mosquito netting with delicate strokes
- step 08
Final adjustments to ensure proper value relationships throughout
color palette
primary · titanium white · raw umber · prussian blue · cadmium red light
secondary · yellow ochre · burnt sienna · violet · naples yellow
Mix grays using blue and burnt sienna rather than black; warm the whites with tiny amounts of yellow ochre and cadmium red
techniques
- ·color temperature control
- ·soft edge blending
- ·translucent fabric rendering
- ·subtle value gradation
- ·alla prima painting
common pitfalls
- →Using pure white for fabric
- →Over-defining facial features
- →Making fabric too opaque
- →Ignoring warm/cool color relationships
materials
surface · primed canvas or canvas board
required
- ·#4 and #8 flat brushes
- ·#2 round brush
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·prussian blue oil paint
- ·cadmium red light oil paint
- ·canvas 18x24 inches
- ·palette knife
optional
- ·#6 filbert brush
- ·painting medium
- ·mahlstick
- ·viewfinder
Work wet-into-wet for soft transitions; have plenty of white paint available as it dominates the composition
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