plate no. 5695
Defender
Antonio Jacobsen, 1908
some experience helpful
This painting will help students develop skills in depicting atmospheric perspective and rendering realistic water with highlights and shadows. It also provides practice in painting convincing sails and rigging.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
3
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
3
study guide
est. 12 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement of the boats and the horizon line.
- step 02
Establish the sky with light blue and white, blending for soft clouds.
- step 03
Block in the water using varying shades of blue and green, indicating the wave patterns.
- step 04
Paint the sails with off-white, adding subtle shadows to suggest form.
- step 05
Add the boat hulls, paying attention to highlights and reflections.
- step 06
Paint the masts and rigging with thin lines of brown and black.
- step 07
Add details to the background ships and boats.
- step 08
Refine the water and add final highlights to the sails and boat hulls.
color palette
primary · ultramarine blue · titanium white · raw umber
secondary · yellow ochre · burnt sienna · payne's gray
Mix blues and whites for the sky, varying the proportions for different cloud tones. Use raw umber and white to create the off-white color for the sails. Mix blues, greens, and browns for the water, adding white for highlights.
techniques
- ·blending
- ·scumbling
- ·dry brushing
- ·atmospheric perspective
- ·linear perspective
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the clouds, resulting in a muddy appearance.
- →Making the water too uniform in color, losing the sense of movement.
- →Failing to accurately depict the perspective of the boats.
- →Using pure white for the sails, which can look flat and unrealistic.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas 18x24
- ·ultramarine blue oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·round brushes (sizes 2, 4, 6)
- ·flat brushes (sizes 4, 8)
- ·linseed oil
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·medium (e.g. Liquin)
- ·varnish
Use a medium-tooth canvas for best results. Consider using a limited palette to simplify color mixing.
tips & new artworks in your inbox
no spam — unsubscribe anytime.
or to save artworks, chat, and track progress
in this vein
