plate no. 5931
Admiralty Sound, Tierra Del Fuego
Rockwell Kent, 1925
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in layering colors to create depth and atmospheric perspective, as well as simplifying complex forms into basic shapes.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
3
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
3
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Sketch the basic composition, including the horizon line, mountains, islands, and tree branches.
- step 02
Block in the large areas of color: sky, water, mountains, and foreground.
- step 03
Add darker values to the mountains to define their form and create depth.
- step 04
Paint the snow-capped peaks, paying attention to the subtle variations in color.
- step 05
Refine the water, adding reflections of the islands and mountains.
- step 06
Paint the islands, using darker tones on the sides facing away from the light.
- step 07
Add details to the foreground, including the texture of the ground.
- step 08
Paint the bare tree branches, varying the thickness and direction of the lines.
color palette
primary · ultramarine blue · burnt umber · titanium white
secondary · yellow ochre · raw sienna · payne's gray
Mix blues and whites for the sky and water, adding small amounts of umber or sienna to create subtle variations. Use umber and sienna for the mountains and foreground, mixing with blue to create cooler tones in the shadows.
techniques
- ·layering
- ·atmospheric perspective
- ·color mixing
- ·simplification
- ·glazing
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the details, losing the overall simplicity of the composition.
- →Not paying attention to the subtle color variations in the sky and water.
- →Making the mountains too dark, flattening the perspective.
- →Failing to create a sense of depth by not using atmospheric perspective.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·ultramarine blue oil paint
- ·burnt umber oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·round brushes
- ·palette
- ·linseed oil
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·medium gloss
- ·easel
Use a medium-grain canvas for best results. Consider using a limited palette to simplify the color mixing process.
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