plate no. 4833

Young Arab with donkey

Gustavo Simoni, 1905

oil, canvasOrientalismgenre paintingfiguredonkeyarchitecturetreesstreetbuilding

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in rendering figures and animals in a believable way, as well as creating a sense of depth and atmosphere using layering and glazing techniques.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic composition, paying attention to proportions and perspective.
step 02
Establish the main light and shadow areas with a thin wash of burnt umber.
step 03
Block in the local colors of the sky, buildings, figure, and donkey.
step 04
Begin layering and blending colors to create form and depth.
step 05
Add details to the figure and donkey, focusing on accurate rendering.
step 06
Refine the architectural details and textures.
step 07
Glaze over areas to unify the color palette and create atmosphere.
step 08
Add final highlights and details to complete the painting.

color palette

primary · burnt umber · ultramarine blue · titanium white · yellow ochre

secondary · raw sienna · ivory black · cadmium yellow light

Achieve the muted tones by mixing complementary colors and using white to create tints. Use glazes of thinned paint to create depth and atmosphere.

techniques

·underpainting
·layering
·glazing
·dry brushing
·scumbling

common pitfalls

→getting proportions wrong in the initial sketch
→overworking the details too early
→creating muddy colors by overmixing
→failing to establish a clear light source

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas (16x20 inches)
·oil paints (burnt umber, ultramarine blue, titanium white, yellow ochre, raw sienna, ivory black)
·round brushes (#2, #4, #6)
·flat brushes (#6, #8)
·linseed oil
·turpentine

optional