With many surviving examples of garments in museums, studying the fashions of more recent history is easy. Recent centuries can lend design elements both familiar and foreign to your fantastical vision. You may mix together elegant fashions, historical events, photographic inspirations, architecture and mechanical details from eras past. Add in your own retro-futurism to make steampunk, for instance, or capture alternate pasts where mermaids swim in the seas and dragons fly through the air.
Late eighteenth-century Rococo fashion was decadent, decorative and feminine. Marie Antoinette was considered the height of fashion. Curving shapes, along with gold and pastel colors, dominated along with a profusion of frills and ruffles. Dress styles were characterized by the back being different from the front. Women’s dresses were very wide and used a rectangular hoop skirt called a pannier. Court dresses were even wider and required going through doors sideways.
Men wore long coats and vests with short breeches and stockings. Embroidered fabrics were used for formal wear.
Also called a sacque-backed gown, this was a formal dress with long pleats flowing from the shoulders and obscuring the waist in the back. The front revealed the petticoat. Bodices could be decorated with an interchangeable front panel called a stomacher.
Similar to the sacque-backed gown in front, but this gown has shoulder pleats sewn into the back of the bodice and full at the waist. The man wore a long coat over a waistcoat, breeches and stockings.
The overskirt was gathered up toward the back with ties or buttons, exposing the underskirt. This style was less formal than the robe à la française.
In the 1770s, hair was piled up high, often over pads or fake hair, with curls on the sides and back. Hairstyles were decorated with ribbons, flowers, leaves, birds or even entire model ships for fancy balls. In the 1780s, hair was worn out to the sides.
These were mainly straight and elbow length, finished with pleats of ruffled lace. Lace cuffs made up of many layers attached separately. The lace, made by hand, was expensive and used to show off wealth.
Masquerade balls started in Venice with the annual Carnivale in the fifteenth century and were popular in France and England throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. People dressed as romanticized versions of historical figures, historical dress or foreign countries, as well as themes from the natural world such as seasons, flowers, insects or day and night. Balls were elaborate and theatrical with sets matching a theme.
Masks came from Venice where mask makers held high status. Venetian masks are known for their decorative swirling gold patterns and can fit full-face or cover just the top half. Masks can be tied to the wearer or held up on a stick or wand. Wearing a mask was a way for people to transcend social classes for a few days a year.
Animal and plant-based masks and costumes are particularly effective combined with makeup. They can be made of leather, wood, ceramic or fabric with flowers, leaves and feathers. A cat-eared mask is one of the traditional Venetian styles.
These bird-shaped masks with round eyes were inspired by masks worn by doctors who treated plague victims. This is a good starting point to experiment with the nose shape and create bird or animal masks.
A layered skirt offers the possibility to draw different materials or colors in one dress. Create a flower skirt by layering fabric petals, or an animal or bird by using a fur or feather pattern. To draw costumes for historical characters, follow the silhouette of the time period for your character, but use details from their chosen historical period.
Many cultures revere deer as otherworldly or messengers from the Fairy realms. Many mythologies tell of gods who sometimes disguised themselves as deer or possessed horns of their own. Many Celtic stories exist of fairy women changing into the form of a deer.
Dressed for a masquerade ball, a mysterious lady is clothed in the colors and textures of the autumnal forest. She carries a staff bearing shining baubles and amulets. Might she be a fairy herself, or merely dressed as one?
Sketch the figure and frame in pencil. Use waterproof ink to outline the figure, but leave the frame in pencil. Wet the paper around the center frame, then painting wet-in-wet, use Burnt Sienna and Yellow Ochre. Blend the color out to the edges until the whole area is a light yellowish color. Drop in more color in a few random spots and the bottom edge and corners.
Paint the inside of the circle with very light Yellow Ochre plus a little Burnt Sienna. Paint around the figure and the frame edges, blending the color out with clear water. Paint the outer frame with a more concentrated mix of the same color, also blending the edges outward. Paint some uneven splotches to create a parchment feeling. Darken the color around the leaves and between the parts of the frame.
Paint her hair with very light Raw Umber. Concentrate on lightly shading the larger forms. Add light shadows to her underskirt with Payne’s Gray plus Burnt Sienna. Paint around the top edge of the skirt and blend downward with clean water. When this is dry, shade the individual folds with light gray.
Mix Burnt Sienna and Yellow Ochre to paint her bodice and staff. Start with a scribbling motion, then fill in the space between the circles. Darken down the center of her back and the backs of her sleeves with more Burnt Sienna.
Paint the gathered overskirt with a mix of Burnt Sienna, Yellow Ochre and Raw Umber. Paint from the top edges and blend downward. Darken some of the deeper folds with the same color while wet. Shade the staff and antlers.
Begin painting shadows on her skin with Dioxazine Purple. Paint slightly darker shadows in her hair with a mix of Payne’s Gray and Dioxazine Purple.
Coat her skin with a very pale Raw Sienna, adding a second layer over the darkest shadows.
Darken the shadows and edges around her hair with Brown Madder. Add a little blush to her cheeks with very pale Quinacridone Red. Paint her lips with a light Brown Madder and between them with Raw Umber plus Alizarin Crimson. Paint light Brown Madder to shade around the eyes. Outline the top of her eyes with Raw Umber plus Payne’s Gray. Paint in the irises with a mix of Sap Green and Raw Sienna.
Finally, pick out a few strands of hair with Sepia.
Mix light Yellow Ochre and Raw Sienna to paint a layer over the leafy skirt and mask. Add a bit of Raw Sienna on the outer edges of the mask.
Paint more Raw Sienna over the left side of her leaf skirt, adding a little light Cadmium Red while wet. Do the same to the center, using Sap Green mixed with a little Raw Sienna. Use less green toward the far right side, allowing the yellow to show through. Paint Yellow Ochre on her staff leaves and in her hair and sleeves. Glaze Sap Green over that and paint the moss on the antlers.
Mix Burnt Sienna and Raw Umber to paint her antlers. Paint the darkest color toward the center and blend to the edges to give the antlers a fuzzy look. Paint the same color along the right side of the staff and blend toward the left to add a gnarled texture effect to the wood.
Paint the gathered skirt with a mix of Sepia and Dioxazine Purple. Paint along the right sides of each section, blending toward the left. Create some depth in the larger folds while still wet. Add Burnt Sienna to the mix to paint the smaller wrinkles.
Paint Yellow Ochre over the edge of the leaves on her skirt. Outline the edge of the green leaves and blend inward. While still wet, drop in Sap Green on the right and Cadmium Orange toward the left. Add Cadmium Red over the orange and drop some under the edges of the green leaves. Use Sap Green to shade her sleeve ruffles.
Paint Yellow Ochre over her mask, the leaves in her hair and the top of the staff. While wet, paint Sap Green on the mask and some of the leaves, and a mix of yellow and green on others. Make one leaf in her hair orange. Paint light Raw Sienna over the mushrooms. Darken the moss on her antlers with Sap Green as well.
Deepen the shadows in the folds on the brown skirt using Sepia mixed with Burnt Sienna. Then use Sepia by itself for darker shadows directly under the leaves.
Paint very light Sepia shadows over her white underskirt. Then drybrush deeper color on her antlers.
Use Burnt Sienna to darken the color along the center of her back, the backs of her sleeves and shoulders. Leave some spots unpainted and blend the color out toward lighter areas. Lift out some spots with a clean brush.
Apply Hooker’s Green on the mask from the nose to the tips on each side. Create small leaf veins on the mask. Add darker color to the leaves in her hair. Dot Hooker’s Green into the moss on her antlers and soften with clean water. Paint some of the small leaves with Hooker’s Green mixed with either Yellow Ochre or Quinacridone Red for varied greens. Paint some of the mushrooms with Burnt Sienna plus Raw Umber or Cadmium Red for others.
Mix Hooker’s Green and Sap Green to darken the shadows around the skirt leaves and the sleeve ruffle. Mix Cadmium Red and Orange to line the edges of some of the leaves. Blend inward.
Mix Hooker’s Green and Cobalt Blue to line the inner edges of the eye holes in the mask and to paint shadows on smaller leaves, and green leaves on the skirt. Outline the outside of the mask with Alizarin Crimson and Cadmium Orange.
Paint Alizarin Crimson around the edges of the skirt leaves. Create the thin veins in the leaves with a smaller brush. Paint diluted color between some of the veins, leaving space around the edges. Indicate veins on the green leaves with Hooker’s Green.
Create the wrinkles in the sleeve ruffle by painting Hooker’s Green between the folds. Then glaze Yellow Ochre and Cadmium Orange on the lower ruffle. Paint the leafy border on her collar using light Sap Green, and while wet, dot in Hooker’s Green plus Cerulean Blue. When dry, define the shadows with Hooker’s Green.
Paint the jewels on the staff with Alizarin Crimson and Dioxazine Purple, reserving some light parts and white highlights. Use Alizarin Crimson and Cadmium Orange to outline the lighter leaves on the staff and Yellow Ochre and Burnt Sienna on the hanging leaf and acorns.
Fill in the negative spaces in the frame with Burnt Sienna and blend outward. When the frame is dry, glaze Yellow Ochre around the entire frame and blend outward. Line the inside of the frame with light Raw Umber and blend inward with clear water.
Deepen the shadows between the leaf layers with Cadmium Red mixed with a touch of Dioxazine Purple. Then glaze light Hooker’s Green plus Cobalt Blue over the white underskirt at the center and right. Do the same with Burnt Sienna on the left side.
Paint Yellow Ochre over some of the upper hanging beads.
Paint various colors on the beads and jewels hanging from her antlers in Quinacridone Violet, Cobalt Blue, Cerulean Blue, Alizarin Crimson, Viridian and Cadmium Yellow. Shade the yellow beads, star and oak leaf on the staff with Yellow Ochre and Burnt Sienna.
Paint her choker from front to back with Cadmium Orange, Alizarin Crimson and Dioxazine Purple.
Darken the small veins on the mask and green leaves with Hooker’s Green plus Payne’s Gray, then with Sap Green on the lower sleeve ruffle. Use Alizarin Crimson for veins on the orange leaves.
With White Gouache, create highlights on the jewels, knuckles, lower sleeve ruffle and acorns. Paint short strokes of white to indicate fur on the edge of her tail, and dot white onto the red mushrooms.
Paint very diluted white on the antler edges, then drybrush the darkest parts with Sepia. Finally, darken the strings that wrap around the antlers with Payne’s Gray.
The Victorian silhouette is unmistakable. A woman’s natural silhouette was changed with the help of padding, corsets and bustles into the fashionable figure of the time. Costumes were profusely trimmed with fringes, ribbons, braids, beads and furs, and were quite heavy.
The color possibilities became endless with new synthetic dyes created in 1856, which could produce bright purple, magenta, blue or yellow. While men wore mostly somber colors, women had a wider range.
Since the ornateness of Victorian dress can look stiff, it’s best to take inspiration from one aspect for your own interpretation. A bustle or corset can be combined with shorter skirts or the ornate trims of the period used for decoration.
She wore a formal ball gown with a low neckline and long bustled train, decorated with large bows. The front had two layers trimmed with lace and flowers over a pleated skirt. Gloves and fans were indispensable accessories for evening wear. Light colors were considered proper for evening attire.
Victorian hairstyles included lots of curls and braids twisted and piled high. Hair extensions and braids were pinned into natural hair.
Popular styles included a curled hairstyle decorated with flowers, a small lace cap tied at the chin and the Gibson Girl bouffant style of the 1890s.
Previous to the Victorian era, corsets were cone-shaped and used bone or wood for the form. Steel began to be used in the nineteenth century with more exaggerated shaping. The corset became longer and extended over the hips. Steel bones were encased in stitched channels. Study where these are placed, but drawing just a few creates the right look.
The icon of Victorian fashion went in and out of style during the second half of the nineteenth century. A bustle consisted of a series of hoops attached at the back, which, when worn under a skirt, filled out the form of the skirt. Skirts and trains of gathered fabric were worn over the bustle. Create a bustle look without bulk by drawing skirts gathered up toward the back.
Asymmetry became fashionable in the 1880s as the silhouette became straighter. 1890s style was simpler in decoration with no bustle and featured large ballooned sleeves and hair.
Towering walls of stone and ancient weathered ruins can create a mysterious setting for a fantasy painting.
To paint a smooth stone-like marble, paint a base color. While wet, paint darker streaks with a smaller brush. Experiment with painting wet-in-wet or dry-into-dry, then blending.
Paint a flat wash of Payne’s Gray and let dry.
Add shadows around the forms and blend out toward the edges until the brush runs out of paint and creates a rough texture.
Darken small openings inside the arch and around the top. Draw jagged lines with the brush diagonally across the inside. Then with clean water, soften some of the lines by painting clean water over them. Do the same to the outside, but paint larger shapes. Pick out irregularities in the base color and darken those areas. Make sure to leave some unpainted spots. When dry, paint very light Payne’s Gray over the arch outline.
Add deeper shadows to some of the darkest areas and corners. Pick out places that look like cracks or pits in the stone and darken them. Draw thin, jagged lines for cracks. Use clean water to soften some of the cracks.
Gothic-style church windows come from the Medieval age, but are a common theme in modern Gothic fantasy art. Window shapes create an interesting background or border, and the same shapes can be painted as stonework.
To capture the qualities of sun shining through stained-glass windows, use bright pure colors. Since they are made of handmade glass, add irregular texture to the surface.
Draw and ink the outline of a window. Paint the base color. Use Cadmium Yellow in the center, Cadmium Orange in the outer circles, then Cadmium Red and Sap Green for the leaves and Cobalt Blue at the edges.
Paint more concentrated values of the same colors around the edges of each shape and blend inward.
Mix Cadmium Yellow and Cadmium Orange to paint around the center circle and blend inward. Darken the inner edges of the leaves with a Viridian glaze.
Paint more Cadmium Red over the red areas and Cobalt Blue around the edges of the blue. Mix Cadmium Orange with Cadmium Red and paint around the edges of the round orange shapes. Paint along the center lines of the glass pieces in the orange and blue sections, with orange and blue paint, respectively.
Paint irregular lines and leave open spots and streaks to create texture on the glass. Glaze Dioxazine Purple around the edges of the blue and red glass. Mix a little Cobalt Blue with Sap Green and glaze one side of each leaf. Paint detail over the orange with Cadmium Orange and Red. Paint Cadmium Yellow plus Orange around the center circle.
Jewel-colored light shines through the Gothic window, illuminating a fairy lady as she meets her winged butterfly sisters. Her dress is inspired by Victorian fashions, incorporating brightly colored wings that mimic stained glass in the skirt.
Using Ultramarine Violet Deep, paint a base layer over the background, avoiding the figure and butterflies. Make the corners and outer edges darkest. While the background is wet, add more color into the darker areas, then mix Ultramarine Violet Deep and Payne’s Gray to darken the upper corners and above the window.
Paint a light layer of Quinacridone Violet over the main part of the window. Then paint a second layer of color around the edges and the figure, blending out with clear water to make it look cloudy. Paint the two trefoil windows on each side with light Quinacridone Red, then Quinacridone Violet over the outer edges.
Apply a mix of Cadmium Yellow and Cadmium Orange to the star center in the top window. Use Quinacridone Violet and Dioxazine Purple around the star, blending the color toward the outer edges. Around all the windows, allow a dilution of the color to bleed out over the stonework.
Glaze reflected light over the ground around the figure with light Quinacridone Violet. Add some midtones to the stone arches and corners with Payne’s Gray mixed with varying amounts of Ultramarine Violet Deep.
Darken the sky through the main window with Quinacridone Violet.
Create the irregular glass texture on the two trefoil windows with Quinacridone Violet on the outer edges and Quinacridone Red and Alizarin Crimson in the center. Darken the outer sections with a little Dioxazine Purple.
Glaze the center window with light Quinacridone Red from the outer edges. Darken the center star with Quinacridone Red plus Alizarin Crimson, then Cadmium Orange and Yellow in the center.
Glaze the stone surrounding the upper windows and arch from the sides to the center with Quinacridone Red, Dioxazine Purple and then Cadmium Orange.
Shade the background with Payne’s Gray, adding in some Dioxazine Purple in the lighter areas. Darken the color around the arches, corners and where the wall meets the ground. Leave a light halo around the butterflies. Paint dark spots here and there around the window and arches, blending out the color into the surrounding areas. Make the stone look uneven and broken by painting in irregular shapes.
Paint very light Payne’s Gray at the inner corners of the upper windows and blend downward.
Paint shadows on her skin and over the entire wing with light Dioxazine Purple. When dry, paint a darker purple thinly around the edges, blending the color inward.
Paint purple over her bodice, underskirt and bustle. Glaze Cobalt Blue over the bodice when dry. Use light Quinacridone Red to paint the wing-shaped skirts. When dry, glaze purple at the top and blend toward the bottom. While still wet, drop in a little Cobalt Blue.
Glaze Raw Sienna over her skin. Then glaze light Quinacridone Violet darkest toward the bottom of the wing and skirt and blend up. When dry, fill in the bottom individual wing sections with darker Quinacridone Violet and blend up. Then do the same with Dioxazine Purple, starting from the top.
Shade the rest of the purple parts of the dress, bodice, skirt and bustle with Dioxazine Purple. Mix Dioxazine Purple and Payne’s Gray to create the darkest shadows.
Paint a line of Quinacridone Violet along the outer edge of the wings and blend so it fades inward.
Paint the base colors on the butterflies with Dioxazine Purple, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Orange and Cobalt and Cerulean Blue.
Paint her hair with a mix of Burnt Sienna and Raw Umber.
Glaze Brown Madder over the darker shadows on her skin, adding a little Quinacridone Red on the cheeks and Alizarin Crimson on the lips. Outline the eyes with Raw Umber and Sepia. Darken her hair with Sepia and pick out some of the strands using Lamp Black. Use Dioxazine Purple and Hooker’s Green for the roses in her hair.
Paint details on the butterflies with various colors. Paint wing veins and outline with slightly darker colors.
Glaze a line of Dioxazine Purple over the red stripe on her wings and blend inward.
Outline the wings with Lamp Black. Outline both the vein pattern on her skirts and the lacy trim on her bodice. Paint her transparent lace glove and sleeve with very diluted black. Then glaze the trailing end of her bustle and deeper folds with a diluted black.
Finish details on the wings with Lamp Black. Outline the outer edges and paint a lacy pattern. Trace the veins, then outline the lace on her sleeve and glove, creating a lace trim with scallops, loops and dots. Outline and detail the butterflies.
Glaze Payne’s Gray around the outer edges of the picture. Paint the cracks in the stone. Place where some of the stone is darker and already looks broken.
Fill in and trace the leading on the stained-glass panels.
Use White Gouache to add highlights and reflections to some of the cracks. Dot small spots on the wings and butterflies. Finally, fill in the leading on the large window with Payne’s Gray.
Steampunk is a fantastical combination of history and futurism. Imagine someone from the nineteenth century describing what one hundred years in the future would look like to them with a good helping of fantasy. While steampunk is most often based on Victorian styles, you can branch out to include other regions of the world. Use design motifs from a historical period in your futuristic items.
Choose mechanical elements that make sense and look functional, such as jet packs, wings that move, mechanical limbs and spyglasses, rather than adding gears as an afterthought. Deconstruct costume items and use corsets and bustles on the outside.
She wears a mechanical arm attached with a belt and a short waist cincher, which still allows for plenty of movement. Skirt lifters are used to draw up a long skirt and keep it out of the way. Under that, she wears knee-length bloomers.
Bloomers allowed for activities such as biking and were controversial in Victorian England, when women did not yet wear pants.
This character is dressed with utility in mind. The multiple pockets on her belt carry supplies for adventuring. Goggles protect her eyes in flight, and spats protect her boots and keep her legs warm. Bands around her arms keep her sleeves rolled up.
Reference the bone structure of bird wings to create a deconstructed mechanical wing. Create a skeleton of metal and wood, adding glass or metal feathers, or stretch fabric over it like a ship’s sail.
Draw a small butterfly-style wing made from metal and glass that catches the light. Bird-like wings can be constructed with joints to open and close. Wings might be attached to a pack containing the mechanisms that make them work.
Military-style double-breasted jackets and vests look appropriate for a steampunk costume, giving an air of authority to your character. Spats are Victorian shoe and boot covers that keep shoes free from mud. They cover the ankle and top of the shoe with buttons up the side. Experiment with drawing them knee- or thigh-high, or decorating them with trims.
Steampunk costumes frequently make use of leather and brass details. Both are materials that can be elegant and utilitarian, shiny or worn.
Paint a flat wash of Burnt Sienna.
Mix Burnt Sienna with Sepia and use a no. 4 brush to drybrush texture over the left side. Build up a couple of layers on top of each other and then drybrush with pure Burnt Sienna. Use a no. 2 brush to mimic a tooled leather design. Paint the inner edges of the gear outline and blend toward the center. Drybrush more Burnt Sienna around the right corner, leaving a thin line at the edge of the gear.
Lift out highlights around the outer edges of the gear with a clean wet brush. Add extra highlights with White Gouache.
Paint a flat wash of light Yellow Ochre. Paint more concentrated color around the edges and blend inward.
Mix Yellow Ochre and Raw Umber, and build up layers of color around the edges using the dry-brush technique.
Drybrush several layers of pure Yellow Ochre around the center and over the edges, but leave a bright area in the center. Then drybrush a little Raw Umber over the outer edges. You may use a smaller brush like no. 000 and any mix of colors to add scratches or dents for a worn appearance.
Atop her high perch, an airship mechanic looks over the city with her brass spyglass and waits for her ship to come in. The Art Nouveau border and wrought-iron swirls bring to mind nineteenth-century architectural details while the sepia-toned background recalls antique photographs.
Paint light Raw Umber unevenly over the background, around the frame and under the ledge. Smooth out darker spots with clean water. Paint around the edge of the center window and blend inward a little at a time, avoiding the frame and the figure.
Paint a cloudy sky with light Cerulean Blue in the window. Paint some uneven areas around the window edge, blending out the color into the outline of clouds.
Paint the wooden ledge with Burnt Sienna, avoiding the metal studs. Paint Raw Umber in the dark depressions in the frame. Then paint shadows under the ledge, blending toward the bottom and filling in the lower frame.
Deepen the blue sky toward the edges and over the darkest parts using Cerulean Blue.
Paint Raw Umber over the wooden ledge, darkest toward the center around the figure. Paint light Yellow Ochre over the remaining parts of the frame, spyglass and metal parts of her wings and shoes.
Lightly paint the skyline at the bottom of the window with light Raw Umber. Paint from the top edges down, making the bottom cloudy.
Outline the airship in the sky, with Raw Umber thinned out, and while wet, blend the color inward. Then paint her wings, darker at the base, and shade the spats on her lower legs and blouse with light Raw Umber.
Glaze the wood ledge with Sepia for shadows at the back edge and directly under the figure. Then paint the wood grain and areas between the boards.
Glaze Yellow Ochre over the gold frame at the top and bottom. Mix Burnt Sienna and Yellow Ochre to glaze over the shadows on the bottom. Begin painting medium values on the top frame. Paint the darkest spots first and blend the color out into a gradient. Reserve plenty of unpainted spots for highlights. Glaze Yellow Ochre over the dark brown areas and darken the metal on her wings and shoes.
Mix Burnt Sienna, Sepia and Yellow Ochre to paint deeper shadows on the gold frame. Paint Payne’s Gray on the wrought-iron swirls and lamp. Glaze a little Cadmium Yellow around the lightbulb.
Paint shadows under the ironwork with Burnt Sienna, Sepia and Yellow Ochre. Use Sepia to deepen the color on the dark brown border top and bottom, and to darken the shadows under the ledge.
Add windows and rooftops on the skyline using Burnt Umber. Then add details to the airship in the background.
Paint a thin line of Burnt Umber around the inner edges of the lower circle. Glaze Cobalt Blue over the shadows on her blouse and spats. Begin painting shadows on her skin using Dioxazine Purple.
Paint her leather shoes, harness and the wood part of her wings with Burnt Sienna mixed with Raw Umber. Paint most of her clothing and the outside of her skirt with Cerulean Blue. Use light Viridian to paint the lining of her skirt and the design on her shoes. Paint the remaining section of the spyglass with Payne’s Gray.
Mix Raw Umber and Burnt Sienna to paint lightly over her skin. Use the mix in concentrated form to paint her hair and shade the leather harness.
Add shadows on her clothes and the green part of her shoes with Cobalt Blue. Lightly shade her skirt lining with Cerulean Blue.
Glaze Payne’s Gray over the shadows on her spats and blouse. Use darker Payne’s Gray to fill in the spats’ buttons.
Paint Raw Umber plus Cadmium Red over shadows on her skin. Mix in a touch of Cobalt Blue for the darkest shadows. Glaze very pale Cadmium Red over her cheeks, chin and the tip of her nose.
Mix Cobalt Blue, Dioxazine Purple and a little Payne’s Gray to paint the shadows on her outer skirt, bloomers and bodice. Then darken the blue on her shoes. Shade the leather parts with Sepia.
Paint shadows in the wrinkles in her skirt lining with Cobalt Blue, then darken them. Paint the brass trim on her shoes, wings and spyglass with Burnt Sienna and Yellow Ochre.
Build up the skin tones with Brown Madder over the shadows, cheek and lips. When dry, glaze Raw Sienna over all her skin. Use Lamp Black to add shadows in her hair.
Paint dark blue shadows on her skirt lining with the Cobalt Blue, Dioxazine Purple and Payne’s Gray mixture. Deepen the shadows in the wrinkles on the rest of her skirt with Payne’s Gray. Lightly glaze Dioxazine Purple over her torso and bloomers.
Add more shadows to the gold frame with Burnt Sienna plus Raw Umber, especially between the swirls at the top. Add some small pockmarks on the bottom frame for a rougher texture.
Fill in the ironwork with more Payne’s Gray. Then use White Gouache to create highlights on buttons, gold and wrought iron.