plate no. 5584

Birdsong

oil, canvasImpressionismgenre paintingfiguretreesforestbirch treesred dressfoliage

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in color mixing to achieve subtle variations in light and shadow, as well as practice loose, expressive brushwork to capture the texture of the trees and foliage.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 10 hrs

approach — 7 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement of the figure and the trees.
step 02
Block in the large areas of color, starting with the red dress and the background foliage.
step 03
Add the birch trees, paying attention to their verticality and the subtle variations in tone.
step 04
Begin to refine the details of the figure, focusing on the face and hands.
step 05
Develop the texture of the foliage using short, broken brushstrokes.
step 06
Add highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.
step 07
Refine the edges and details to complete the painting.

color palette

primary · cadmium red · raw umber · titanium white

secondary · sap green · yellow ochre

Mix cadmium red with raw umber and titanium white to create the various shades of red in the dress. Use raw umber and sap green to create the darker greens in the foliage. Mix yellow ochre into greens for highlights.

techniques