plate no. 6063
Woman Combing Her Hair
Edgar Degas, 1886
experienced study
Students would develop skills in figure drawing, color temperature relationships, and pastel blending techniques while learning to capture intimate, everyday moments with expressive mark-making.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Begin with a light sketch to establish the figure's pose and proportions
- step 02
Block in the major color areas - warm flesh tones and cool background
- step 03
Establish the hair mass with broad strokes of burnt sienna and raw umber
- step 04
Work the flesh tones with warm yellows and peaches, paying attention to form
- step 05
Develop the background with muted greens and grays to contrast the figure
- step 06
Add the mirror and washstand details with careful attention to perspective
- step 07
Refine hair texture with directional strokes following hair flow
- step 08
Final touches on facial features and hand details
color palette
primary · raw umber · burnt sienna · naples yellow · viridian green
secondary · cadmium orange · raw sienna · payne's gray · titanium white
Mix warm flesh tones with naples yellow and small amounts of cadmium orange; create hair colors by varying burnt sienna with raw umber
techniques
- ·pastel layering
- ·directional strokes
- ·color temperature contrast
- ·form modeling
- ·selective blending
common pitfalls
- →over-blending the pastels
- →making hair too uniform in color
- →losing the figure's structural foundation
- →ignoring color temperature relationships
materials
surface · toned pastel paper, medium tooth, warm gray or tan color
required
- ·soft pastels in earth tones
- ·pastel paper (toned)
- ·blending stumps
- ·fixative spray
- ·kneaded eraser
- ·pastel pencils for details
- ·drawing board
- ·tissue paper
optional
- ·hard pastels for initial blocking
- ·pastel dust for backgrounds
- ·white charcoal pencil
- ·spray bottle for texture effects
Work on an easel or tilted surface to prevent pastel dust from settling on the work
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