plate no. 7575

Woman with a tambourine

oil, canvasRealismportraitfigureportraittambourineclothingjewelrywall

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, including accurate proportions and rendering of skin tones, as well as understanding how to depict fabric folds and textures.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 20 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure and tambourine on the canvas.
step 02
Establish the background with a thin wash of dark, muted colors.
step 03
Block in the main areas of color for the skin, clothing, and tambourine.
step 04
Begin refining the skin tones, paying close attention to highlights and shadows.
step 05
Develop the details of the clothing, including the folds and textures.
step 06
Add details to the tambourine, including the decorations and hardware.
step 07
Refine the background and adjust the overall values to create depth.
step 08
Add final highlights and details to complete the painting.

color palette

primary · titanium white · burnt umber · yellow ochre · cadmium green

secondary · ultramarine blue · cadmium red · ivory black

Mix skin tones using titanium white, yellow ochre, burnt umber, and a touch of cadmium red. Achieve the green of the skirt by mixing cadmium green with a touch of burnt umber and ivory black to darken it.

techniques

·portraiture
·glazing
·blending
·chiaroscuro
·fabric rendering

common pitfalls

→Getting the proportions of the figure wrong.
→Overworking the skin tones and losing the freshness of the paint.
→Failing to create a sense of depth in the background.
→Ignoring subtle color variations in the clothing and tambourine.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

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