How to Recreate a Mary Cassatt Oil Painting
Create a grid pattern on a picture of the painting., Draw a grid pattern on your paper., Sketch the piece, using the grid to help you., Erase the grid lines and begin to color your piece., Create depth and texture using different shades of color...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Create a grid pattern on a picture of the painting.
Find an image of the original Reine Lefebre and Margot Before a Window online, and re-size it so that it will be easy to scale to your 24x36 paper (for example, scale down the picture so that it is 6x9
- a third of your paper size).
From there, you can print the image or use a computer program to draw the grid lines over top of it.
To make the grid lines, use a pencil and a ruler to divide the paper into 3 rows and 4 columns of equal size. -
Step 2: Draw a grid pattern on your paper.
Take your 24x36 drawing paper and use a pencil and a ruler to divide it into a grid of 3 rows and 4 columns, just like you did with the original image.
This should result in 8x8 squares.
When doing this, don't press down on the pencil too hard
- keep the lines very light so that you can easily erase them later. , Work one grid at a time
- look at one of the grids on your original image, and sketch what is inside that grid onto your drawing paper.
Again, keep the pencil light so that the pencil marks won't show through the pastels later.
Start with the outlines first so that you can make sure that everything connects well throughout the grid
- for example, begin with the outline of the woman's body, then move to the windowsill and panes, and then the outline of the girl's body.
From there you can move on to details such as clothing, hairlines, faces, etc. , Once you've transferred the image onto your drawing paper, take a small eraser and erase the grid lines, making sure not to erase your actual sketch.
From there you can begin to color in the sketch using oil pastels.
Begin with the larger blocks of color
- for example, the red wall, the woman's green dress, the girl's red dress, and the green grass in the background. , When the large blocks of color are finished, use different colored pastels to show the texture in the painting
- for example, use darker and lighter shades of red to capture the folds in the girl's dress, and a darker brown pastel to emphasize the shading on the outline of the chair.
If your package of pastels doesn't have all the variation of color needed, you can use a paper towel to smear different colors and help blend them together on your drawing paper. , Once the larger areas have been colored in and shaded, finish off your artwork by coloring the smaller details using your pastels.
Start with the trees in the background, and once you've developed some finesse with the pastels, move on to fine details such as the eyebrows, eyes, nose, and lips of the woman and the girl. -
Step 3: Sketch the piece
-
Step 4: using the grid to help you.
-
Step 5: Erase the grid lines and begin to color your piece.
-
Step 6: Create depth and texture using different shades of color.
-
Step 7: Add the final details.
Detailed Guide
Find an image of the original Reine Lefebre and Margot Before a Window online, and re-size it so that it will be easy to scale to your 24x36 paper (for example, scale down the picture so that it is 6x9
- a third of your paper size).
From there, you can print the image or use a computer program to draw the grid lines over top of it.
To make the grid lines, use a pencil and a ruler to divide the paper into 3 rows and 4 columns of equal size.
Take your 24x36 drawing paper and use a pencil and a ruler to divide it into a grid of 3 rows and 4 columns, just like you did with the original image.
This should result in 8x8 squares.
When doing this, don't press down on the pencil too hard
- keep the lines very light so that you can easily erase them later. , Work one grid at a time
- look at one of the grids on your original image, and sketch what is inside that grid onto your drawing paper.
Again, keep the pencil light so that the pencil marks won't show through the pastels later.
Start with the outlines first so that you can make sure that everything connects well throughout the grid
- for example, begin with the outline of the woman's body, then move to the windowsill and panes, and then the outline of the girl's body.
From there you can move on to details such as clothing, hairlines, faces, etc. , Once you've transferred the image onto your drawing paper, take a small eraser and erase the grid lines, making sure not to erase your actual sketch.
From there you can begin to color in the sketch using oil pastels.
Begin with the larger blocks of color
- for example, the red wall, the woman's green dress, the girl's red dress, and the green grass in the background. , When the large blocks of color are finished, use different colored pastels to show the texture in the painting
- for example, use darker and lighter shades of red to capture the folds in the girl's dress, and a darker brown pastel to emphasize the shading on the outline of the chair.
If your package of pastels doesn't have all the variation of color needed, you can use a paper towel to smear different colors and help blend them together on your drawing paper. , Once the larger areas have been colored in and shaded, finish off your artwork by coloring the smaller details using your pastels.
Start with the trees in the background, and once you've developed some finesse with the pastels, move on to fine details such as the eyebrows, eyes, nose, and lips of the woman and the girl.
About the Author
Ronald Lewis
Enthusiastic about teaching DIY projects techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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