Farm in Normandy

Light enters from above and slightly from the left, creating a warm, hazy glow across the entire composition. The dense, dark tree trunks in the foreground—especially the massive one at left—anchor the scene and frame the view toward the pale farmhouse at center-middle distance. Your eye naturally travels through the tree corridor toward that white building, which sits as the visual destination despite its small scale. The animals (dark sheep or goats on the right, a lighter one center-right) provide secondary focal points that pull the gaze across the grassy middle ground.

The darkest values are concentrated in the tree trunks and their shadows (deep burnt umber-black), while the lightest lights are the farmhouse walls and patches of sky glimpsed through foliage. A distinct mid-tone band of warm golden-brown fills the canopy and background. When you squint, you see three clear zones: very dark tree structure, luminous pale building, and warm-toned atmospheric middle. The grass is notably darker than you might expect—a muted green-brown, not bright—which pushes the composition toward cohesion rather than contrast.

• #201411

  Burnt umber + ivory black, minimal linseed oil

  Tree trunks, deepest shadow areas within foliage, definition of branches

• #3c2a1d

  Burnt umber + raw sienna + touch of black

  Mid-dark tree bark, shadow edges, dark foliage masses

• #52341e

  Raw sienna + burnt umber, balanced

  Foreground grass shadow areas, darker tree limbs

• #775f37

  Raw sienna + sap green + white

  Warm golden-brown canopy, atmospheric foliage, middle-distance trees

• #9d8c68

  Raw sienna + titanium white + touch sap green

  Lit foliage, warm highlights on tree crowns, sky-facing leaf planes

• #644828

  Burnt umber + raw sienna + white

  Building shadow side, warm earth tones, mid-tone foliage

Morisot uses distinctly loose, directional brushstrokes that follow the form of branches and foliage masses rather than rendering detail. Tree trunks are defined by hard edges where they read against light sky or grass, but soften where they merge into shadow. Foliage is suggested through visible, gestural strokes—horizontal dabs for canopy planes, vertical flicks for branch direction—creating a sense of leafy texture without botanical precision. The farmhouse is rendered with slightly more definition than the surrounding landscape, but still with economy and suggestion rather than careful detail.

1. 01

   Block in the dark tree skeleton

   Using burnt umber + black mixed to near-black, and a size 4 or 6 round brush, establish the dominant tree trunks and major branch structure. The massive trunk at left should be your anchor; indicate its full vertical drop and the way it splits into upper branches. Keep lines loose and confident—this is scaffolding, not final form. Leave the edges somewhat rough; they'll be refined when you add foliage around them.

2. 02

   Establish the building as a light anchor

   Block in the pale farmhouse walls with titanium white + raw sienna (very little sienna, mostly white). Keep it simple—a rough rectangular shape visible between and beyond the trees at middle distance. This light mass is your value reference point; it should read as distinctly lighter than everything else on the board right now. Don't detail windows or doors; just the warm-white presence matters.

3. 03

   Lay in the atmospheric foliage masses

   Mix a warm golden-brown using raw sienna + sap green + white, and begin filling the tree canopy and background. Use broader, looser strokes—horizontal and diagonal—to suggest leafy volume. Work around (not over) your dark trunk lines. Pay attention to the direction of light: foliage facing upward and left should be slightly warmer and lighter; underside and right-side masses should shift toward the darker sienna. Leave gaps where sky or building peek through.

4. 04

   Deepen foliage shadows and refine canopy edges

   Return to burnt umber + raw sienna (warmer than your initial black-umber mix) and begin layering shadow areas within the canopy. Push darker values into the lower and inner portions of the tree masses, especially on the right side where the light seems weaker. Use smaller brushes (size 2 or 4) for this; let strokes suggest branch direction and internal structure. The edge where foliage meets sky should remain slightly soft and broken, not hard.

5. 05

   Suggest the grassy ground and animal shapes

   Block in the foreground grass with a muted green-brown (sap green + burnt umber + white, leaning warm). Keep it loose and uneven. Indicate the animals as simple dark or light shapes: two darker forms on the right (sheep/goats), one lighter form at center-right. Don't model them carefully; they're accent marks. The grass shadow areas should stay darker where trees shade them; lighter and warmer where light reaches.

6. 06

   Add warm sky and light-struck foliage highlights

   Suggest the sky visible through the canopy with a warm cream or pale golden tone (titanium white + raw sienna, loosely mixed). Apply this selectively where you see lighter patches peeking through the trees, especially toward the top and between branches. Then add warmer, lighter foliage accents using a similar cream-gold with slightly more sienna; apply these to the upper and left-facing canopy planes to show where warm light catches the leaves.

7. 07

   Strengthen trunk definition and branch rhythm

   Return to your darkest mix (burnt umber + black) with a size 2 or 4 brush and refine visible tree trunks and major branches. These should read as solid dark forms against lighter foliage and sky. Let them taper naturally as they rise; vary their edge quality—some hard where they read against light, some soft where they merge into shadow. Pay special attention to the left foreground trunk; it should feel substantial and directional, leading the eye into the composition.

8. 08

   Unify and adjust atmospheric depth

   Step back and assess value relationships. The middle-distance foliage and building should feel farther back than the foreground trees, which means it should read as slightly lighter and warmer overall. Use a larger brush with thin, warm glazes (raw sienna + white + linseed oil) to soften and harmonize the middle distance if needed. Ensure the foreground grass and tree trunks feel closer and more solid. Add final touches of dark accent where branches overlap or cast strong shadows.

• Rendering the foliage too uniformly green or too finely detailed—Morisot suggests leaf texture through loose, directional brushwork, not botanical precision. Squint frequently to maintain the impression of volume over form.
• Making the farmhouse too detailed or too small to read—it's pale and distant, yes, but it must read as a clear light anchor. Ensure it's slightly warmer than pure white and visible enough to direct the eye.
• Losing the tree trunks in layering—because you'll apply foliage over the initial dark skeleton, be sure to go back in step 7 to reinstate their presence and prevent them from dissolving into the warm canopy.
• Flattening the grass or making it too bright—the ground is warm, muted, and darker than intuition suggests. Resist the urge to make it a vivid green; stay in the burnt sienna and sap green range with liberal white and brown.

beginner friendliness

value contrast

palette complexity

compositional simplicity

brushwork visibility