plate no. 6844

Changing Horses

oilRomanticismgenre paintinghorsecowboylandscaperivermountainscattle

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in atmospheric perspective and depicting figures in a landscape. It also provides practice in rendering textures with loose brushwork.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement of the cowboy, horses, and landscape elements.
step 02
Establish the sky and distant mountains with diluted washes of blue and gray.
step 03
Block in the general shapes of the foreground landscape with light washes of yellow and brown.
step 04
Add the river and the herd of cattle, using simplified shapes and values to suggest depth.
step 05
Paint the cowboy and the horse in more detail, paying attention to the anatomy and proportions.
step 06
Add details to the foreground vegetation, using dry brush techniques to create texture.
step 07
Refine the values and colors throughout the painting to create a sense of atmosphere and depth.
step 08
Add final details and highlights to complete the painting.

color palette

primary · cerulean blue · raw sienna · burnt umber

secondary · ultramarine blue · yellow ochre · alizarin crimson

Mix various shades of blue and gray for the sky and mountains. Use yellow ochre and burnt umber to create the warm tones of the landscape. Add touches of alizarin crimson to warm up the browns and create depth.

techniques

·wet-on-wet blending
·dry brush texture
·atmospheric perspective
·scumbling
·layering washes

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details in the background, which can flatten the sense of depth.
→Using colors that are too saturated, which can make the painting look unnatural.
→Not paying attention to the proportions of the figures and animals.
→Creating muddy colors by overmixing.