plate no. 8936

A Townscene With Children At Play, Haarlem

Cornelis Vreedenburgh, 1930

oil, boardImpressionismcityscapebuildingscityscapechildrenfiguresstreetsky

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in perspective drawing, color mixing to achieve muted tones, and capturing light and shadow to create depth. It also provides practice in depicting architectural details and figures in a scene.

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 buildings and street.
step 02
Block in the main areas of color with thin washes, focusing on the overall value structure.
step 03
Start adding details to the buildings, such as windows and architectural features, using thicker paint.
step 04
Define the figures and the car with simple shapes and colors.
step 05
Develop the sky with soft, blended brushstrokes.
step 06
Add highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.
step 07
Refine the details and adjust the colors as needed.
step 08
Add final touches and highlights to complete the painting.

color palette

primary · burnt umber · raw sienna · titanium white

secondary · ultramarine blue · cadmium red light · yellow ochre

Mix burnt umber and white for the buildings' base color, adding touches of yellow ochre and cadmium red for warmth. Use ultramarine blue and white for the sky, with touches of yellow ochre for the clouds.

techniques

·broken color
·dry brushing
·scumbling
·atmospheric perspective
·blocking in

common pitfalls

→Getting the perspective wrong, which will make the buildings look distorted.
→Overworking the details, which will lose the impressionistic feel.
→Using colors that are too bright or saturated, which will clash with the overall tone.
→Ignoring the value structure, which will make the painting look flat.