Boys Swimming in the Porvoo River

approach — 8 steps

color palette

primary · burnt sienna · ultramarine blue · yellow ochre · titanium white

secondary · cadmium red · raw umber · ivory black

Achieve the warm tones of the buildings by mixing burnt sienna with yellow ochre and a touch of cadmium red. Create the cool tones of the water by mixing ultramarine blue with titanium white and a hint of raw umber.

techniques

• ·broken color
• ·wet-on-wet blending
• ·scumbling
• ·alla prima
• ·layering

common pitfalls

• →Overworking the reflections, resulting in a muddy or unrealistic effect.
• →Failing to capture the subtle color variations in the water.
• →Ignoring the perspective of the buildings, leading to a flat or distorted composition.
• →Getting the proportions of the figures wrong.