plate no. 7136
Blue twilight
Yuriy Khymych, 1983
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students practice simplifying complex scenes into basic shapes and using a limited color palette to create a cohesive mood. It also provides practice in layering colors and creating texture with visible brushstrokes.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
3
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the houses, mountains, and street, focusing on composition.
- step 02
Block in the sky with a light wash of diluted blue, leaving some areas lighter for the clouds.
- step 03
Apply a base layer of brown to the street, varying the tone slightly to suggest unevenness.
- step 04
Paint the houses with a mix of blue and white, creating variations in value to suggest light and shadow.
- step 05
Add details to the roofs using a mix of brown and blue, creating individual tile shapes.
- step 06
Paint the windows with a bright yellow or orange to create a focal point.
- step 07
Add dark blue outlines to define the shapes of the houses and windows.
- step 08
Add final details like the tree branches and any other small elements.
color palette
primary · Prussian Blue · Titanium White · Burnt Sienna
secondary · Yellow Ochre · Cadmium Orange
Mix Prussian Blue and Titanium White for various shades of blue for the houses and sky. Use Burnt Sienna for the street and roofs, adding blue to darken the shadows. Mix Yellow Ochre and Cadmium Orange for the window light.
techniques
- ·Dry brushing
- ·Layering
- ·Color mixing
- ·Simplification of forms
- ·Impasto
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the details and losing the overall impressionistic feel.
- →Using too many colors and creating a muddy effect.
- →Not varying the values enough and creating a flat image.
- →Making the initial sketch too detailed and getting bogged down in specifics.
materials
surface · Stretched canvas
required
- ·Stretched canvas (12x16 or similar)
- ·Acrylic or oil paints (Prussian Blue, Titanium White, Burnt Sienna, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Orange)
- ·Assorted brushes (flat and round)
- ·Palette
- ·Palette knife
- ·Water or solvent (depending on paint type)
- ·Rags
- ·Easel
optional
- ·Medium (for oil paints)
- ·Varnish
Use a limited palette to capture the mood. Consider using a glazing medium for oil paints to enhance the depth of color.
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