plate no. 4735

A Grey Day

Franklin Carmichael, 1928

oilArt Nouveau (Modern)landscapelandscapetreesmountainsskyhillsriver

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in layering colors to create depth and atmosphere, as well as simplifying complex landscapes into basic shapes and forms. It also provides practice in capturing the mood of a scene through color choices.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes of the mountains, trees, and foreground rocks.
step 02
Establish the horizon line and the general layout of the composition.
step 03
Block in the sky with a base layer of blues and grays.
step 04
Add the distant mountains, using progressively lighter and bluer tones as they recede.
step 05
Paint the foreground hills with a mix of browns, greens, and blues, varying the colors to create depth.
step 06
Add the vertical tree trunks with light blues and grays, paying attention to their placement and proportions.
step 07
Introduce details such as the river, small trees, and highlights on the rocks.
step 08
Refine the colors and values, adding subtle variations to create a sense of atmosphere.

color palette

primary · ultramarine blue · burnt umber · titanium white

secondary · yellow ochre · cadmium red

Achieve the muted tones by mixing complementary colors (blue and orange, red and green) with white. Use ultramarine blue and burnt umber to create a range of grays and browns.

techniques

·layering
·color mixing
·atmospheric perspective
·simplified forms
·broken color

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details and losing the overall sense of atmosphere.
→Using colors that are too bright or saturated.
→Failing to establish a clear sense of depth.
→Making the tree trunks too uniform and lacking variation.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas (12x16 or similar)
·oil paints (ultramarine blue, burnt umber, titanium white, yellow ochre, cadmium red)
·palette
·assorted brushes (flat and round)
·linseed oil or other painting medium
·palette knife
·odorless mineral spirits
·rags