plate no. 9775

Deep Valley

Ivan Eyre, 2007

oil, canvasContemporary Realismlandscapemountainstreesriverlandscapeforest

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in layering colors to create depth and using repetitive brushstrokes to build texture. It also provides practice in simplifying complex forms into basic shapes.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the mountains, river, and land masses.
step 02
Block in the sky with the lightest blue, gradually darkening the blue for each successive mountain layer.
step 03
Apply the base green color to the land areas, varying the shade slightly.
step 04
Paint the river with a light blue-grey, adding darker shadows to suggest depth.
step 05
Add the dark green/black areas representing the forests, using short, vertical strokes to suggest trees.
step 06
Introduce small amounts of yellow-green for highlights on the lower land areas.
step 07
Refine the details of the trees and foliage with small, repetitive brushstrokes.
step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to enhance the depth and texture of the painting.

color palette

primary · ultramarine blue · viridian green · titanium white · black

secondary · yellow ochre

Mix ultramarine blue with white to create the various shades of blue for the sky and mountains. Combine viridian green with black to achieve the dark greens of the forest. Use yellow ochre sparingly to create highlights on the green areas.

techniques