plate no. 8376
Woman With Lyre
Carlos Schwabe, 1908
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, color mixing for subtle skin tones, and rendering drapery with soft folds. It also provides practice in creating a sense of depth and atmosphere.
technical profile
palette complexity
4
brushwork visibility
3
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
3
study guide
est. 20 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the figure's pose and the placement of the lyre.
- step 02
Block in the main areas of color: skin, dress, background, lyre, and wings.
- step 03
Begin refining the skin tones, using subtle color variations to create form.
- step 04
Develop the drapery, paying attention to the folds and shadows.
- step 05
Add details to the lyre, including the strings and decorative elements.
- step 06
Paint the background, creating a sense of depth with varying shades of blue and the addition of stars.
- step 07
Refine the wings, adding texture and detail.
- step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to enhance the overall form and create a sense of luminosity.
color palette
primary · ultramarine blue · raw umber · titanium white
secondary · yellow ochre · burnt sienna · payne's gray
Achieve skin tones by mixing white, raw umber, and a touch of yellow ochre and burnt sienna. Use ultramarine blue and white for the sky, adding small amounts of raw umber for darker areas. Mix Payne's gray and raw umber for the wings.
techniques
- ·blending
- ·layering
- ·scumbling
- ·glazing
- ·dry brushing
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the skin tones, resulting in a muddy or flat appearance.
- →Failing to create a sense of depth in the background.
- →Ignoring the subtle color variations in the drapery.
- →Making the lyre look flat or unrealistic.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·acrylic or oil paints
- ·round brushes (sizes 2, 4, 6)
- ·flat brushes (sizes 4, 8)
- ·palette
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil or acrylic medium
- ·odorless mineral spirits or water
optional
- ·retarder medium
- ·varnish
- ·easel
Use a smooth canvas for best results. Consider using a toned canvas to help establish the overall color scheme.
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