Woman in a Black Hat, Berthe la Sourde

Light source enters from the upper left, striking the figure's face and illuminating the left side of the interior. The eye is drawn first to the pale, fully-lit face—the highest value in the composition—which anchors the portrait despite the dramatic black hat and dress surrounding it. Behind the seated figure, a wicker chair with golden-ochre woven pattern and white-cream fabric creates warm, active background masses. The umbrella or parasol held diagonally across the lap creates a secondary line that anchors the lower half of the composition. The overall effect is an interior studio scene with strong directional light modeling the features against a warm, patterned, domestic background.

The darkest values cluster in the hat and dress, forming a unified dark silhouette that reads as a single shape from a distance. The face and neck are mid-light, roughly one value level below the brightest accents (white chair fabric, background highlights). The walls and interior occupy the middle value band—warmer than the figure but darker than the fabric accents. Squinting reveals three clear value zones: dark silhouette, mid-light face, and warm mid-to-light background, with no muddy middle-gray confusion.

• #3b2c3a

  Ivory black + touch of alizarin crimson

  The black hat and deep shadows in the dress; deepest darks overall

• #7b5b57

  Burnt umber + ultramarine blue

  Shadow planes on the face, neck, and hands; warm-dark modeling

• #b28f7c

  Raw sienna + titanium white

  Mid-tone skin—cheeks, forehead, lit planes of the face

• #99776a

  Burnt umber + raw sienna + ultramarine

  Wall areas behind figure and shadow transitions in the interior

• #aa7c68

  Raw sienna + alizarin crimson + touch of ultramarine

  The wicker chair pattern, warmer mid-tone walls, ochre accents throughout

• #cdb6a4

  Titanium white + raw sienna + touch of alizarin

  Lightest skin highlights on face, white chair fabric, cream background accents

The face is treated with softer, blended edges—strokes follow the planes of the skull and blend where light meets shadow, creating readable modeling. The black hat is simplified with bold, directional strokes that suggest form without fussy detail. The dress is rendered with expressive, linear marks—visible hatching and vertical strokes that describe the weave and create movement, refusing to flatten into a silhouette. The chair and background employ quick, gestural strokes suggesting pattern rather than rendering it fully; this economy creates rhythm and prevents visual chaos. Hard edges define the silhouettes of hat and dress against the background, while the face has no sharp edges except at the hairline.

1. 01

   Establish proportions and composition

   Lightly block in the overall pose: head and hat at the upper third, chair outline, umbrella handle as a diagonal across the lower half. Pay attention to the tilt of the head and the angle of the shoulders. The face should occupy roughly one-fifth of the composition height. Establish that the background interior occupies more visual space than the figure itself.

2. 02

   Block in major value masses

   Paint the dress and hat as a unified dark shape—don't differentiate them yet. Use a mix of ivory black with a touch of ultramarine and alizarin to avoid pure black flatness. This dark shape anchors the entire composition. Loosely indicate the lit face area as a distinct lighter value zone.

3. 03

   Establish the warm interior background

   Block in the wall areas and floor in warm mid-tones—burnt umber and raw sienna mixtures. Roughin the wicker chair pattern using ochre and gold strokes; don't render every weave mark, suggest it with directional marks. Add the white fabric accents on the chair. The background should feel warm and atmospheric, not detailed.

4. 04

   Model the face and establish likeness

   This is your priority area. Build the face from shadow to light: start with the cooler shadow planes (burnt umber + ultramarine) on the right side of the face and under the chin. Block in the mid-tone skin using raw sienna + white. Add the lightest highlights on the forehead, nose, and cheekbones. Pay close attention to the proportions of the eyes, nose, and mouth—Toulouse-Lautrec stylizes the features slightly, making the face distinctive. The expression is central to capturing Berthe's likeness.

5. 05

   Develop the dress with expressive strokes

   Move beyond the flat dark block. Use vertical and diagonal hatching strokes in the black dress to suggest fabric texture and direction. Vary the black mixture—warmer in some areas (add burnt umber), cooler in others (add ultramarine). The strokes should be visible and directional, not blended smooth. Show how light grazes the fabric's edge along the arm and shoulder.

6. 06

   Refine the hat and establish its relationship to the head

   The hat is simplified, not detailed. Use directional marks to suggest its feathered or textured crown. The hat should read as a single dark mass but show enough variation to avoid flatness. Ensure the hat sits convincingly on the head—the relationship between head and hat is crucial for likeness.

7. 07

   Sharpen the umbrella and hand details

   The umbrella handle extends diagonally; render it with a tan or ochre tone suggesting wood. The hand holding it should show enough modeling (shadow and light) to read as dimensional without fussiness. The hand anchors the lower composition and prevents the figure from feeling detached from the chair.

8. 08

   Integrate and refine throughout

   Step back and check value relationships—the face should still read as the brightest, most-focused area. Soften edges where shadow meets light on the face; keep edges crisp where the dark dress silhouettes against the warm background. Adjust the chair pattern's visual weight—it should not compete with the figure. Final touches: ensure the skin tones feel warm and alive, not flat; make sure the black dress has color variation and breathing room.

• Don't treat the black dress as a flat, featureless silhouette—it needs internal variation, directional strokes, and subtle color shifts (warm and cool notes) to read as fabric, not a hole in the canvas.
• The face can become overworked if you chase perfect likeness; Toulouse-Lautrec simplifies and stylizes. Trust the proportions you see and avoid correcting 'errors'—they are part of the artist's hand and character.
• The wicker chair pattern is visually complex and can dominate if overrendered; use restraint and suggestion rather than copying every detail, or the background will fight the figure for attention.
• Avoid making the shadows on the face gray or dull; they are warm and alive, mixed from burnt umber and ultramarine or alizarin, not black + white.

beginner friendliness

value contrast

palette complexity

compositional simplicity

brushwork visibility