plate no. 8324

At the Top of the Tree

Soltan Soltanlı, 2018

oilMagic Realismanimal paintingtreeskysheepgoatgrassanimals

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in layering colors to create texture and depicting animal forms in a simplified style. It also provides practice in creating a sense of depth through subtle value changes.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes: the tree, the ground, the sky, and the animals.
step 02
Block in the sky with a light blue, adding soft white clouds.
step 03
Paint the ground with a vibrant green, varying the tones slightly.
step 04
Establish the tree trunk with dark brown and black.
step 05
Layer different shades of green to create the foliage, using short, choppy brushstrokes.
step 06
Paint the sheep and goat with varying shades of brown, white, and gray, paying attention to their simplified forms.
step 07
Add highlights and shadows to the animals and foliage to create depth.
step 08
Refine details and adjust colors as needed.

color palette

primary · phthalo green · cerulean blue · titanium white · burnt umber

secondary · yellow ochre · payne's gray · cadmium yellow light

Mix different shades of green by combining phthalo green with yellow ochre and titanium white. Create browns by mixing burnt umber with small amounts of blue and yellow.

techniques

·scumbling
·dry brushing
·layering
·color mixing
·simplified form depiction

common pitfalls

→Overworking the foliage, resulting in a flat, uniform texture.
→Incorrectly proportioning the animals.
→Using too much detail, losing the simplified style.
→Not varying the green tones enough, making the tree look unnatural.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas
·acrylic paints (phthalo green, cerulean blue, titanium white, burnt umber, yellow ochre, payne's gray)
·round brushes (various sizes)
·flat brushes (various sizes)
·palette
·water container
·paper towels
·palette knife