plate no. 3603

Woman Playing the Lute

oil, canvasTenebrismgenre paintingfigurelutemusicclothingsheet musicportrait

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, particularly rendering skin tones and fabric, as well as understanding dramatic lighting and shadow (tenebrism). Students will also learn to depict textures of different materials like wood and paper.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 20 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Begin with a light sketch outlining the main shapes: the figure, lute, and sheet music.
step 02
Establish the dark background using a thin wash of dark brown or black.
step 03
Block in the main areas of color: skin tones, fabric, lute wood, and sheet music.
step 04
Focus on the light source and begin building up highlights on the figure and lute.
step 05
Develop the shadows, paying attention to the subtle gradations in tone.
step 06
Add details to the face, hands, and lute, refining the shapes and adding texture.
step 07
Paint the patterns on the fabric and the details on the sheet music.
step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.

color palette

primary · ivory black · raw umber · burnt umber · titanium white

secondary · cadmium red · ultramarine blue · yellow ochre

Skin tones can be achieved by mixing white, yellow ochre, and a touch of red. Shadows are created by adding burnt umber or raw umber to the skin tone mixture. The lute wood is a mix of raw umber and burnt umber with highlights of yellow ochre.

techniques

·tenebrism
·glazing
·scumbling
·blending
·chiaroscuro

common pitfalls

→Overblending, resulting in a loss of form and texture.
→Inaccurate proportions in the figure or lute.
→Ignoring the subtle color variations in the shadows.
→Getting the values wrong, which can flatten the image.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas (18x24 inches)
·oil paints (ivory black, raw umber, burnt umber, titanium white, cadmium red, ultramarine blue, yellow ochre)
·linseed oil
·turpentine or odorless mineral spirits
·palette
·assorted brushes (round and flat)
·palette knife