plate no. 0750

Arreau - Vue de la route du col d'Aspin

oilRealismlandscapemountainsvalleyvillageskylandscapehills

some experience helpful

This painting provides an opportunity to practice atmospheric perspective and creating depth through value changes. Students can develop skills in rendering textures of mountains and foliage using a limited palette.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the main shapes: mountains, valley, and foreground.
step 02
Establish the horizon line and key perspective lines.
step 03
Apply a thin wash of light gray/beige to the entire canvas.
step 04
Begin blocking in the darkest values in the foreground and gradually lighten as you move towards the background to create depth.
step 05
Add details to the mountains, suggesting texture with short, broken strokes.
step 06
Define the village in the valley with small, dark accents.
step 07
Refine the sky with subtle gradations of light gray.
step 08
Add final highlights to the foreground rocks and foliage.

color palette

primary · ivory black · raw umber · titanium white

secondary · yellow ochre · burnt umber

Mix various shades of gray by combining black and white. Add small amounts of raw umber or yellow ochre to warm the grays for the foreground and midground.

techniques

·value studies
·atmospheric perspective
·scumbling
·dry brushing

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details in the background, which will flatten the perspective.
→Using too much contrast in the background, which will bring it forward.
→Making the colors too saturated, which will detract from the subtle atmosphere.
→Ignoring the importance of soft edges to create depth.