I can’t remember when I first became aware of Edgar Dagas, but I’ve always loved his work and in particular his ballet works. I can remember as a teenager doing pastel sketches in his style to give to friends and relatives.

It’s been a long time since I challenged myself with such a subject and although I’m using a medium I’m infinitely more than familiar with, it was still a testing lesson. Not due to the number of different techniques required as when painting a landscape but because brush control is paramount. There’s a lot of small-scale blending needed to create the smooth skin tones. Once you have mastered this valuable skill it's a great tool to use no matter what your subject.

If you’re patient and you work slowly there’s no reason why you can’t end up with a result similar to mine. I really enjoyed doing this painting and I hope you enjoy following it.

Good luck!

Michael

Difficulty: Advanced
Panel Size: 16 x 12 inches
Brushes used in this lesson: Michael James Smith Professional Brush Set

In August 2019 Michael switched brush manufacturers and as a result the series numbers/names are different in some of the lessons. In order to be able to complete the lessons regardless of which set you’re using we have put together a chart which lists the equivalent brushes from both sets.

Acrylic Paints:
Titanium White
Ivory Black

Oil Paints:
Titanium White
Burnt Umber
French Ultramarine
Ivory Black
Winsor Yellow
Cadmium Orange
Alazarin Crimson
Cerulean Blue Hue
Dioxazine Purple
Cadmium Yellow Light

Mediums / Thinners:
Winsor & Newton Liquin Fine Detail
White Spirit