plate no. 9966
Cagnes sur Mer, France
James Taylor Harwood, 1930
some experience helpful
This painting is great for practicing atmospheric perspective and rendering textures with colored pencils. Students can learn to create depth using subtle color shifts and varying line weights.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
3
study guide
est. 6 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes and perspective lines of the buildings and street.
- step 02
Establish the overall value structure with light pencil strokes, focusing on the shadows.
- step 03
Begin layering colors, starting with the background and working forward.
- step 04
Use blues and grays to create the atmospheric perspective in the distance.
- step 05
Add warmer tones to the roofs and buildings in the foreground.
- step 06
Develop the textures of the walls and roofs with short, broken strokes.
- step 07
Refine the details and add highlights to create contrast.
- step 08
Blend colors lightly to soften the overall effect.
color palette
primary · gray · blue · yellow ochre
secondary · burnt sienna · white · light blue
Mix grays with blue and yellow ochre to create atmospheric tones. Use burnt sienna and yellow ochre for the roofs, and add white for highlights.
techniques
- ·atmospheric perspective
- ·hatching
- ·cross-hatching
- ·color layering
- ·blending
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the details
- →Ignoring the atmospheric perspective
- →Using too much pressure on the pencils
- →Not blending colors sufficiently
materials
surface · Toned drawing paper
required
- ·Colored pencils (various blues, grays, yellows, browns)
- ·Drawing paper (toned gray or blue)
- ·Eraser
- ·Pencil sharpener
- ·Sketching pencil (HB or 2B)
- ·Blending stump
optional
- ·Fixative spray
- ·Palette for mixing colors
- ·Kneaded eraser
Using toned paper helps to establish the mid-tones and simplifies the process of layering colors.
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