plate no. 0305

Turks at the Café

Stefan Dimitrescu, 1930

oilPost-Impressionismportraitfigureportraitbuildingtreecafeclothing

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, color mixing for skin tones, and creating texture with visible brushstrokes. It also provides practice in simplifying complex forms and capturing light and shadow.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Create a light sketch outlining the main shapes and composition.
step 02
Block in the main color areas: skin tones, clothing, background building, and foliage.
step 03
Start refining the skin tones, paying attention to subtle color variations and shadows.
step 04
Develop the details of the clothing, focusing on the folds and textures.
step 05
Add details to the background building, simplifying the forms and colors.
step 06
Refine the foliage, using short, broken brushstrokes to create texture.
step 07
Add final details and highlights to the figures and background.
step 08
Adjust values and colors as needed to create a cohesive and balanced painting.

color palette

primary · burnt sienna · titanium white · ultramarine blue · cadmium red

secondary · yellow ochre · raw umber · viridian

Mix skin tones using burnt sienna, titanium white, and small amounts of cadmium red and ultramarine blue. Create variations by adding yellow ochre or raw umber. The shirt is a mix of white with a touch of red and blue. The red is created with cadmium red and a touch of burnt sienna.

techniques

·broken color
·dry brush
·color mixing
·portraiture
·blocking in

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details and losing the loose, painterly feel.
→Getting the skin tones too flat or muddy.
→Failing to capture the subtle color variations in the clothing.
→Ignoring the importance of light and shadow in creating form.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

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