plate no. 7032

A View of Cliffs, Etretat

oilRealismlandscapecliffsbeachseaskylandscapefigures

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in atmospheric perspective and capturing subtle color variations in natural light. It also provides practice in simplifying complex forms into basic shapes.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the cliffs, beach, and horizon line.
step 02
Block in the sky with a thin wash of blue-gray.
step 03
Establish the base colors for the cliffs, focusing on the overall warm tone.
step 04
Add darker values to the shadows on the cliffs, using browns and grays.
step 05
Paint the beach with a mix of gray and beige, varying the tones to suggest depth.
step 06
Add the sea with a blue-gray mix, creating a subtle gradient towards the horizon.
step 07
Refine the details of the cliffs, adding highlights and texture with visible brushstrokes.
step 08
Add small figures on the beach to give a sense of scale.

color palette

primary · titanium white · ultramarine blue · yellow ochre

secondary · burnt umber · raw sienna · payne's gray

Mix white with small amounts of blue and yellow ochre to create the sky and sea. Use burnt umber and raw sienna to create the warm tones of the cliffs, and add white to lighten the values.

techniques

·dry brush texture
·color mixing
·atmospheric perspective
·blocking in
·scumbling

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details and losing the loose, impressionistic feel.
→Using colors straight from the tube without mixing, resulting in a flat, unnatural look.
→Ignoring the subtle value shifts that create depth and atmosphere.
→Making the brushstrokes too uniform and losing the sense of texture.