plate no. 1865
The flower vendor
Léon Bazile Perrault, 1887
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including capturing likeness and rendering skin tones, as well as practicing soft blending techniques to create a smooth, realistic finish.
technical profile
palette complexity
4
brushwork visibility
3
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 20 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the girl's head, shoulders, and hands.
- step 02
Establish the background color with a thin wash of neutral tones.
- step 03
Block in the main areas of color for the skin, hair, clothing, and flowers.
- step 04
Begin refining the facial features, paying close attention to the eyes, nose, and mouth.
- step 05
Develop the hair with layers of color, adding highlights and shadows to create depth.
- step 06
Work on the clothing, adding details and folds to give it form.
- step 07
Paint the flowers, capturing their colors and textures.
- step 08
Add final details and highlights to complete the painting.
color palette
primary · titanium white · burnt umber · cadmium red · yellow ochre
secondary · ultramarine blue · alizarin crimson · purple
Mix skin tones using white, yellow ochre, and a touch of red and umber. Achieve the hair color by blending umber, red, and a touch of blue. The flower colors are created by mixing red, yellow, and purple.
techniques
- ·portraiture
- ·blending
- ·glazing
- ·color mixing
- ·rendering
common pitfalls
- →Getting the proportions wrong in the initial sketch.
- →Overworking the skin tones and making them look muddy.
- →Failing to capture the subtle variations in color and value.
- →Losing the softness and delicacy of the original painting.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·burnt umber oil paint
- ·cadmium red oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·round brushes (sizes 2, 4, 6)
- ·linseed oil
- ·palette
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·medium gloss
- ·easel
Use high-quality oil paints for best results. Pre-toned canvas can help establish mid-tones.
tips & new artworks in your inbox
no spam — unsubscribe anytime.
or to save artworks, chat, and track progress
in this vein
