plate no. 6810

Young Woman on a Couch

charcoalImpressionismportraitportraitfigurewomancouchfabricinterior

recreation guide

Berthe Morisot’s 'Young Woman on a Couch' (1885) is a charcoal portrait that exemplifies her transition toward a looser, more spontaneous style characteristic of her later Impressionist period. By 1885, Morisot had begun working primarily from preliminary drawings before applying oil, and her brushwork was shifting from short, rapid strokes to longer, sinuous lines that define form (Source 3). While this specific work is in charcoal, it reflects her broader practice of using drawing media to construct motifs with minimal color interference, inspired by Manet’s approach (Source 3). The work likely emphasizes tonal relationships and the 'effleurer' technique—light, brushing touches—that critics associated with her 'feminine charm' and elegance (Source 3).

estimated time

8-12 hours over 2-3 sessions

materials

6 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Vine or Willow Charcoal sticks	Primary medium for drawing masses and shadows	—
Compressed Charcoal	For deeper darks and refined details	—
Kneaded Eraser	To lift charcoal for highlights and correct mistakes	—
White Chalk or Conté Crayon	To add highlights and simplify tones, particularly on the face	—
Fixative Spray	To set the charcoal layers between stages	Workable fixative
Heavyweight Drawing Paper or Canvas	Support for the charcoal study	—

preparation

surface prep

Morisot often worked on unprimed canvases around 1880, leaving outer edges unfinished to show the canvas through (Source 3). For a charcoal recreation, use a textured paper or unprimed canvas to mimic this spontaneity. If using paper, ensure it is heavy enough to withstand erasing and layering without tearing.

underdrawing

Morisot worked mostly from preliminary drawings after 1885 (Source 3). Begin by blocking out the shapes of the masses strongly in charcoal, noting the shapes of shadows carefully. Use square lines to establish true proportions relative to each other, treating this as a 'scaffolding' rather than a finished line drawing (Source 1). Do not worry about fine details at this stage; focus on the ground upon which form will be expressed.

underpainting

Not applicable for a charcoal-only work, but the tonal blocking serves a similar function. Establish the middle values first, as Morisot’s sympathetic charm often relied on middle-range tones (Source 5).

color palette

Black/Dark Gray

Vine and Compressed Charcoal

Shadows and defining masses

White

White Chalk or lifted paper

Highlights and transparency; Morisot made expansive use of white to create a sense of transparency (Source 3)

Mid-tones

Vine Charcoal

Half-tones; Morisot’s technique often involved simplifying tones to avoid 'distressing shining lights' (Source 5)

composition

Morisot’s works are almost always small in scale (Source 3). The composition likely focuses on the sitter’s pose and the interplay of light and shadow rather than detailed background elements. Her outer edges were often left unfinished, allowing the support to show through, which increases the sense of spontaneity (Source 3).

step by step

underdrawing→first pass→refining→finishing

underdrawing

step 01
Draw the outlines of the masses strongly in charcoal, focusing on the shapes of the shadows. Use square lines to block out proportions.
Tip — Trouble about little else; this is scaffolding for the form.
Mass blocking
step 02
Fix the charcoal well with a spray diffuser and shellac solution to prevent smudging during subsequent layers.
Tip — Ensure the drawing is visible through the next layers if adding tone.
Fixing

first pass

step 03
Establish the half-tones. Morisot’s sympathetic charm often relied on middle values, where lights are low in tone and darks are high (Source 5).
Tip — Avoid extreme contrasts initially; focus on unity of tone.
Tonal blocking

refining

step 04
Add darks to define form. Vary the thickness of the charcoal application: thinner parts are lighter, thicker parts are darker.
Tip — Correct mistakes now; charcoal offers little resistance to erasing (Source 4).
Modeling with charcoal
step 05
Use white chalk or lift charcoal to create highlights. Morisot used barely tinted whites to harmonize paintings and create transparency (Source 3).
Tip — Simplify tones on the face to avoid 'distressing shining lights' that cut up masses (Source 5).
Highlighting

finishing

step 06
Add refinements and correct any remaining mistakes. Leave outer edges unfinished to show the support, consistent with Morisot’s spontaneous style.
Tip — Ensure the sense of spontaneity is maintained; do not over-model.
Final adjustments

critical techniques

Effleurer

Light, brushing touches that characterize Morisot’s elegance and lightness (Source 3).

Tonal Simplification

Using middle values to create sympathetic charm, avoiding extreme contrasts unless for dramatic effect (Source 5).

Unfinished Edges

Leaving the canvas or paper visible at the edges to enhance spontaneity (Source 3).

common pitfalls

→Over-modeling: Morisot’s later work avoided smallness and over-modeling; keep strokes loose and sinuous (Source 2, Source 3).
→Ignoring Proportions: Ensure the initial scaffolding is in true proportion; errors in construction are fatal to lucidity (Source 4).
→Excessive Contrast: Avoid sudden jumps from dark to light unless aiming for dramatic intensity; Morisot often favored middle-range tones (Source 5).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·Specific details of the sitter’s clothing, jewelry, or facial expression are not described in the sources and must be inferred from the original artwork or omitted.
·The exact dimensions of the original work are not provided, though Morisot’s works are generally small (Source 3).
·The specific type of paper or canvas used for this charcoal study is not detailed in the sources.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- SET OF FOUR PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE SAME PAINTING FROM A CAST IN DIFFERENT STAGES — applied to Underdrawing and tonal blocking steps
- MONTE SOLARO CAPRI — applied to Tonal relationships and simplification of tones
The Practice of Oil Painting↗
- PAINTING FROM LIFE — applied to Correcting mistakes in charcoal stage