plate no. 2294

A Road Along the River

Adalbert Erdeli, 1940

oilPost-Impressionismlandscapetreespathlandscaperiverfoliagesky

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in color mixing to achieve naturalistic greens and browns, and practice layering brushstrokes to create depth and texture in a landscape.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement of the trees, path, and river.
step 02
Establish the sky with a thin wash of blue and white, allowing it to blend softly.
step 03
Block in the large areas of foliage with varying shades of green, using loose, expressive brushstrokes.
step 04
Define the path with a mix of browns and oranges, paying attention to its perspective and how it recedes into the distance.
step 05
Add the darker tones of the trees and shadows, creating contrast and depth.
step 06
Introduce highlights and lighter values to the foliage and path to create a sense of sunlight and form.
step 07
Refine the details of the trees and foliage, adding texture and variation with smaller brushstrokes.
step 08
Make final adjustments to the colors and values to achieve a harmonious and balanced composition.

color palette

primary · sap green · burnt sienna · cerulean blue

secondary · cadmium yellow · raw umber · titanium white

Achieve the various greens by mixing sap green with cadmium yellow and white. Browns are created by mixing burnt sienna with raw umber and small amounts of blue or green to neutralize.

techniques

·broken color
·scumbling
·alla prima
·atmospheric perspective

common pitfalls

→Overworking the painting and losing the freshness of the brushstrokes.
→Creating overly saturated greens that appear unnatural.
→Ignoring the atmospheric perspective and failing to create a sense of depth.
→Making the path too uniform and lacking variation in color and texture.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas 16x20
·oil paints (sap green, burnt sienna, cerulean blue, cadmium yellow, raw umber, titanium white)
·palette
·palette knife
·assorted brushes (round and flat)
·linseed oil
·turpentine
·rags