plate no. 9605

Woman's Head

Paul-Albert Besnard, 1922

oilImpressionismportraitportraitwomanfigurerecliningindoorpillow

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in portraiture, color mixing for skin tones, and capturing soft lighting effects. It also provides practice in creating a sense of depth and form with loose, impressionistic brushstrokes.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and proportions of the figure and background.
step 02
Establish the overall value structure with a thin wash of burnt umber.
step 03
Block in the main color areas: skin tones, hair, clothing, and background.
step 04
Begin layering and blending colors to create smooth transitions in the skin.
step 05
Refine the facial features, paying attention to subtle variations in color and value.
step 06
Add details to the clothing and background, using loose brushstrokes.
step 07
Adjust the overall color harmony and value contrast.
step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to enhance the sense of form.

color palette

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

secondary · ultramarine blue · raw sienna

Achieve skin tones by mixing white, yellow ochre, and cadmium red, with small amounts of burnt umber and blue for shadows. Use ultramarine blue and burnt umber to create muted grays for the background.

techniques

·wet-on-wet blending
·scumbling
·color layering
·broken color
·alla prima

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details and losing the loose, impressionistic feel.
→Creating muddy colors by overmixing.
→Failing to capture the subtle variations in skin tone.
→Ignoring the importance of value contrast in creating form.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas
·oil paints (burnt umber, titanium white, yellow ochre, cadmium red, ultramarine blue, raw sienna)
·palette
·palette knife
·linseed oil
·odorless mineral spirits
·selection of brushes (round and flat)
·rags