Blue roofs of Rouen

Light falls from the upper left, creating warm ochre and amber tones on the near facades while leaving deep blue-violet shadows on the far side of buildings and under eaves. The composition is anchored by a terracotta-earth foreground that slopes upward, leading the eye through clustered warm-toned buildings toward the cooler hilltop settlement in the distance. A bare tree with dark branches cuts diagonally across the right side, breaking the horizontal rhythm and creating compositional tension. The sky occupies roughly the upper third and shifts from pale blue-gray at the horizon to warmer cream tones near the top, with loose horizontal brushstrokes suggesting wind-swept clouds.

The darkest darks are concentrated in the tree branches, deep building shadows, and the foreground soil—these anchor the composition. Mid-tones dominate the building facades, which range from warm ochre-tan to muted brick-rust. The lightest lights are the pale sky and the cream-white highlights on roof edges and upper walls. When you squint, you see three clear layers: dark tree and shadows in front, warm building mass in the middle, and cool-to-pale sky and distant roofs behind.

• #dfedf0

  Titanium white + touch of ultramarine blue

  Sky in upper third, roof highlights, and the pale distant hillside

• #a07b5b

  Yellow ochre + burnt sienna + white

  Warm sunlit building facades, foreground earth, and mid-tone roof tiles

• #865a43

  Burnt sienna + ultramarine blue + alizarin

  Medium shadow on building walls and architectural recesses

• #694e41

  Burnt umber + ultramarine blue

  Darker building shadows and tree foliage mass

• #413334

  Ultramarine blue + burnt umber + alizarin

  Darkest tree branches, deep building shadows, and foreground accents

• #c3cacf

  Titanium white + ultramarine blue + touch of ochre

  Mid-tone sky, cooler roof surfaces, and distant building silhouettes

Edges are deliberately soft and broken throughout—buildings lose their definition where they recede, and the boundary between sky and distant roofs is hazily blended rather than sharp. Brushstrokes follow the topography, with horizontal strokes dominating the sky and foreground, while strokes on buildings angle and curve to suggest form. The tree branches are rendered with darker, more decisive linear marks that contrast against the softer surrounding areas, giving them visual prominence without overworking them.

1. 01

   Establish the sky with atmospheric perspective

   Lay down pale blue-gray (white + ultramarine) across the upper third, blending toward cream and ochre tones as you approach the top edge. Use loose, horizontal brushstrokes and leave some canvas showing through for a sketchy, atmospheric feel. The sky should be noticeably lighter and cooler than the buildings below—this is your lightest value zone.

2. 02

   Block in the distant hilltop settlement

   While sky is still wet or semi-wet, suggest the far buildings with cool pale tones (white + ultramarine + touch of ochre) using broken, soft edges. Don't define individual structures; think of them as a unified warm-cream silhouette against the sky. This layer establishes depth and should feel distant and understated.

3. 03

   Lay down the warm building masses in the middle distance

   Begin with your ochre-tan mixture (yellow ochre + burnt sienna + white) for the lit facades. Block in the main building shapes without getting fussy about edges—let your brushstrokes follow the slope of the terrain and the direction of roof angles. Pay attention to the cluster on the left side and the scattered group toward the right; notice how some buildings overlap and recede.

4. 04

   Add shadow structure to the buildings

   Mix burnt sienna + ultramarine for mid-value shadows and begin defining the shaded sides of buildings, especially the north-facing walls and deep recesses between structures. The right side of the composition has stronger shadows—use these to create form and separation between adjacent buildings. Don't overdefine; shadows should blend softly with the lit areas.

5. 05

   Establish the foreground terrain

   Paint the sloping earth in the lower two-thirds with warm ochre and burnt sienna tones, slightly darker than the building walls and less saturated. Notice the red-brown path or worn earth cutting through the lower left. The foreground should feel solid and anchoring, grounding all the buildings above it. Leave subtle variation—the terrain isn't flat or uniform in color.

6. 06

   Render the bare tree with economy

   Using dark ultramarine + burnt umber, paint the main trunk and branches with a linear, decisive approach on the right side of the composition. The branches should feel skeletal and slightly transparent where they cross buildings. Don't overwork—a few strong dark strokes suggest the whole tree. This element should read immediately and create compositional balance against the massed buildings.

7. 07

   Deepen shadows and refine atmospheric depth

   Go back and strengthen the darkest areas: deep shadows under eaves, between buildings, and in the tree. Use ultramarine + burnt umber + alizarin for rich, cool-warm depth. The contrast between these dark accents and the pale sky creates the visual punch of the painting. Be selective—darken only where shadows naturally pool, especially on the right and in the tree foliage.

8. 08

   Add finishing highlights and soften edges

   Using pale cream-white (white + touch of ochre), suggest highlights on roof edges, upper building walls, and catch-lights where the sun strikes. Keep these touches subtle and broken. Then soften transitions throughout by gently blending where buildings meet sky and where different roof planes intersect. The painting should feel luminous and cohesive, not patchily assembled.

9. 09

   Step back and adjust overall harmony

   Evaluate the balance of warm to cool tones across the composition. The buildings should feel warm and sunlit, the sky cool and receding. If any building feels too isolated or harsh, soften its edges. If the foreground feels too bright, add subtle warm-brown glazes. The goal is a unified impression of a sunlit hillside town, not a collection of separate architectural details.

• Overdefining building edges and windows—Gauguin suggests structure through color and shadow, not line. Resist the urge to draw the buildings; paint their form through warm-cool and light-dark relationships.
• Making the sky too uniform or too blue—the actual sky here is pale and mixed with cream-ochre tones, especially toward the top. A flat, single-note sky will flatten the whole composition.
• Losing the sense of terrain slope and spatial recession—the foreground must feel like solid ground sloping upward, not a flat stage. Watch how the buildings sit higher and smaller as they recede; don't place them all at the same scale.
• Treating the tree as decoration rather than a compositional anchor—those dark branches should feel weighty and structural, balancing the mass of warm buildings. They need enough presence to hold the right side of the composition.
• Over-blending and losing the impressionistic energy—Gauguin's brushwork is visible and somewhat loose. If you blend everything smooth, you'll lose the vitality and light-capturing quality that gives this scene its shimmer.

beginner friendliness

value contrast

palette complexity

compositional simplicity

brushwork visibility