plate no. 5453

The Ice Cream Seller

Louay Kayyali, 1960

oilExpressionismgenre paintingfigureboyice creamcontainerportraitclothing

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, glazing techniques, and creating a textured background. It also provides practice in rendering form with subtle value changes.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the proportions of the figure and the placement of the container.
step 02
Apply a thin wash of burnt umber or raw sienna to the entire canvas to create an underpainting.
step 03
Block in the main areas of color: skin tones, clothing, background, and container, using muted tones.
step 04
Begin layering glazes of color to build up depth and dimension in the figure and clothing.
step 05
Add details to the face, paying attention to the subtle shifts in value and color.
step 06
Create texture in the background by stippling or dry brushing different shades of brown and beige.
step 07
Refine the edges of the forms and add highlights to create a sense of light and shadow.
step 08
Add final details to the container and the strap, ensuring they are accurately rendered.

color palette

primary · burnt umber · raw sienna · titanium white

secondary · ultramarine blue · cadmium red light · yellow ochre

Achieve the skin tones by mixing burnt umber, raw sienna, and white, with small amounts of red and blue for subtle variations. The background is created by layering different shades of brown and beige.

techniques

·glazing
·dry brushing
·scumbling
·portraiture
·underpainting

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details in the face, leading to a stiff or unnatural appearance.
→Using colors that are too bright or saturated, which will detract from the overall mood of the painting.
→Failing to create enough contrast between the light and shadow areas, resulting in a flat or lifeless image.
→Ignoring the subtle shifts in value and color, which will make the painting look unrealistic.