plate no. 9407

24th Street Intersection

Wayne Thiebaud, 1977

oilExpressionismcityscapecityscapestreetbuildingshilltreescars

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in perspective drawing and color mixing to create subtle tonal variations. It also provides practice in simplifying complex scenes into geometric shapes.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and perspective lines of the street, buildings, and hill.
step 02
Establish the horizon line and vanishing points to guide the perspective.
step 03
Block in the large areas of color for the sky, street, buildings, and hill using simplified shapes.
step 04
Mix the various shades of gray and green for the street and buildings, paying attention to subtle color shifts.
step 05
Add details to the buildings, such as windows and architectural features, using a smaller brush.
step 06
Paint the trees and other vegetation on the hill, using a variety of greens and browns.
step 07
Add the cars and street markings, paying attention to their perspective and scale.
step 08
Refine the details and add highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.

color palette

primary · gray · green · brown · white

secondary · yellow · blue · ochre

Achieve the various shades of gray by mixing white with small amounts of black, blue, and brown. Create the greens by mixing blue and yellow, and adjust the tone with white or brown.

techniques