plate no. 4924

Woman and Her Goats in the Dunes

oil, canvasImpressionismgenre paintingfiguregoatslandscapedunesfieldsky

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in depicting figures in a landscape and using loose brushwork to create texture and atmosphere. It's also a good exercise in limited color palette painting.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 10 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement of the figure and goats.
step 02
Block in the large areas of color: sky, field, and the figure's clothing.
step 03
Develop the values in the sky and field, creating a sense of depth.
step 04
Add details to the figure, paying attention to the folds in the clothing and the highlights on the face.
step 05
Paint the goats, focusing on their form and the patterns of light and shadow.
step 06
Refine the brushwork, adding texture and detail to the landscape.
step 07
Add final highlights and shadows to create a sense of realism.
step 08
Glaze with thin layers to unify the colors and add depth.

color palette

primary · yellow ochre · raw umber · titanium white · ivory black

secondary · sap green · burnt sienna

Mix greens by combining yellow ochre, raw umber, and a touch of black. Achieve the darker tones in the figure's clothing by mixing ivory black and raw umber. Use white to lighten the colors for highlights.

techniques

·broken color
·dry brushing
·scumbling
·glazing
·alla prima

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details and losing the loose, impressionistic feel.
→Creating muddy colors by overmixing.
→Failing to establish a strong value structure.
→Ignoring the subtle color variations in the landscape.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·Stretched canvas 12x16
·Oil paints: yellow ochre, raw umber, ivory black, titanium white, sap green, burnt sienna
·Palette
·Assorted brushes (round and flat)
·Odorless mineral spirits
·Linseed oil
·Palette knife
·Rags