Ararat from Dvin

Mt. Ararat dominates the composition, its snow-capped peak centered and backlit against a pale periwinkle sky. A secondary peak rises to the left, smaller and deeper in value. The eye is drawn instantly to the bright white snow cap. Below stretches a flattened landscape with dark vegetation clustered as tree masses, water features catching blue reflections, and golden-yellow field patches in the immediate foreground. The light source comes from above-left, warming the near ground with ochre and creating cool, shadowed depths in the distant field.

Squint and you see three dominant value zones: the pale sky and mountain cap (very light), the mid-tone mountain slopes and middle-ground fields (medium yellows and muted blue-greens), and the dark tree foliage and water shadows (nearly black, with blue undertones). The water holes read as distinct dark accents. The key transition happens where the yellow field meets the blue-grey distant plain—a subtle but critical edge that suggests atmospheric recession.

• #c5d8e1

  Cerulean blue + titanium white, slightly cooled

  Sky, dominating the upper half and receding throughout

• #d5e8f1

  Cerulean blue + white, very light high-key mix

  Snow cap on Ararat and brightest sky passages

• #b9c0b4

  Yellow ochre + cerulean blue + white

  Mountain slopes, creating cool purple-grey form

• #9a9b84

  Sap green + yellow ochre + white

  Mid-ground fields and gentle landscape transitions

• #707870

  Sap green + ultramarine + touch of yellow ochre

  Middle-ground tree masses and shadowed foliage

• #322f32

  Ultramarine + sap green + alizarin (red undertone)

  Darkest tree shadows, water features, definition marks

The sky is smoothly blended with soft transitions. Mountain slopes show directional, diagonal strokes following the form—not slurred, but readable as deliberate gesture. Foreground trees are suggested with blocky, gestural marks; individual trees are indicated by cluster silhouettes and stem marks rather than rendered in detail. Water and shadow areas have harder edges where they meet light planes, reinforcing depth.

1. 01

   Establish the sky and overall light

   Mix a pale cerulean and white. Paint the entire upper two-thirds with even, horizontal strokes, slightly warmer (add touch of yellow ochre) at the horizon. The sky should be nearly uniform—this creates the atmospheric 'veil' that pushes the landscape back. Leave just enough variation to feel alive, not flat.

2. 02

   Block in the mountain mass

   Paint the silhouette of Ararat and the left peak using a mid-value grey-purple (cerulean + yellow ochre + white). Keep it simple and geometric. Don't model or shade yet. Focus on getting the proportion and angle of the slopes correct.

3. 03

   Add snow and value structure to the mountain

   Use titanium white with the slightest touch of cool blue to paint the snow cap boldly and opaquely—don't blend it into the grey. Paint the shaded slopes beneath in a cooler, darker grey (add more cerulean and less white). The blue-shadowed side of the peak should feel distinctly cool.

4. 04

   Establish the middle-distance plain

   Paint the mid-ground with pale, muted greens and soft yellows (sap green + yellow ochre + white). Keep this zone soft and recessive—no hard edges, no strong darks. This is the atmospheric middle ground that bridges foreground to mountain.

5. 05

   Map the foreground value zones

   Block in the golden-yellow field patches on the right and center foreground using warm yellow ochre + white. Paint the darker, cooler green-blue field on the left and center-middle using sap green + cerulean + white, slightly muted. These warm-cool relationships will give the ground dimension.

6. 06

   Place water and dark tree masses

   Paint the water features (small ponds/marshes) and deep tree shadows using a very dark blue-green mix (sap green + ultramarine + touch of red). Use these darks strategically—right side foliage cluster, center-left trees, water accents. They anchor the composition and push everything else forward.

7. 07

   Suggest tree forms with gestural marks

   Using a smaller brush and the dark mix, indicate individual tree shapes with decisive, visible strokes. Don't render foliage texture; instead, suggest silhouettes and trunk lines. A few vertical marks and a dark canopy shape are enough. Vary the angle and weight of your marks to avoid monotony.

8. 08

   Refine edges and warm the foreground

   Reinforce where light planes meet shadow with slightly harder edges (especially the water boundaries). Add warm reddish-ochre undertones to some of the yellow field areas and tree shadows to suggest local warmth. Step back—the painting should read clearly from a distance as mountain, middle ground, and foreground, with no smudged zones confusing the layers.

• Making the mountain's slopes too uniform in color—they need blue-grey cooler areas mixed with warmer ochre tones to feel volumetric, not flat.
• Over-blending the sky, creating visible banding or uneven gradation instead of a subtle, peaceful atmosphere.
• Rendering trees in leaf-by-leaf detail when they should be broad, simplified masses with just enough mark-making to read as forms.
• Losing the warm yellow-ochre light in the foreground by letting cool greens dominate—the warm-cool play is essential for spatial receding.

beginner friendliness

value contrast

palette complexity

compositional simplicity

brushwork visibility