Fishing

The painting shows a river scene viewed from an elevated vantage point, with a steep earthen bank dominating the right half of the composition and a calm river with gentle reflections on the left. Light comes from the upper left, creating warm illumination across the landscape and figures. The viewer's eye enters through the fishing figure in the lower-left quadrant, then travels up the bank to the pair of figures standing on the elevated slope to the right. Tall trees with feathery foliage create a wooded backdrop that recedes toward a pale, hazy horizon, with their vertical masses framing the river beyond.

The value range is moderate and cohesive: the sky is the palest element, a creamy off-white that establishes the dominant light key. The river reflects this light and sits just below the sky in brightness. The foliage and distant landscape form a middle-value band of greens and ochres. The riverbank and its shadows provide the darkest darks—deep browns and muted blacks that anchor the composition. When squinting, three distinct value zones emerge: light sky-and-water above, mid-tone vegetation in the middle distance, and the darker embankment below.

• #d9d2c0

  Titanium white with touch of yellow ochre

  Sky, water highlights, and pale atmospheric areas throughout

• #cfc6b3

  Titanium white with yellow ochre and ultramarine blue

  Mid-tone sky, soft atmospheric passages, and light foliage accents

• #9e9571

  Sap green with raw umber and yellow ochre

  Middle-distance foliage, mid-tone vegetation on slopes and tree canopies

• #6c673d

  Sap green with burnt sienna and yellow ochre

  Olive-toned foliage, shadowed leaves, and muted landscape masses

• #826d40

  Raw umber with sap green and touch of ultramarine blue

  Warm earth tones of the riverbank, tree bark, and soil shadows

• #594a31

  Burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, and raw umber

  Darkest shadows beneath trees, deep bank shadows, and figure details

Nearly all edges are soft and blended, creating the atmospheric, diffused quality of the scene. Where foliage meets sky, edges dissolve into haziness rather than reading as sharp silhouettes. The brushwork is descriptive and varied: individual branch strokes in the trees, horizontal daubs for water movement, and small flecks of light-struck foliage throughout the canopies. The river shows horizontal directional strokes, while the embankment is modeled with slightly drier handling to suggest earth texture. No edges feel hard except where figures stand silhouetted against lighter backgrounds.

1. 01

   Establish the composition with underpainting

   Sketch the horizon line where river meets distant landscape, the riverbank slope running diagonally from lower right to middle left, and the general placement of the two figures and major tree masses. Use thin raw umber or ultramarine blue to map these relationships. The river should read as a thin strip of reflected light; the elevated bank should feel like a substantial slope.

2. 02

   Block in the sky

   Paint the sky with pale cream and white (titanium white mixed with yellow ochre and touch of ultramarine), working softer and warmer toward the horizon. Leave it loose—this pale tone establishes the light key for the entire painting. The sky occupies roughly the upper third and should feel hazy and undifferentiated, with no sharp transitions.

3. 03

   Establish the water and its reflection

   Paint the river with pale warm tones, slightly darker than the sky but maintaining the luminosity. Use horizontal strokes to suggest gentle current and reflections of the trees and sky. The water should feel calm and mirror-like in places, with subtle darker streaks where it's deeper.

4. 04

   Block in the major tree masses

   Lay in the large trees in the middle ground with mid-tone greens (sap green mixed with yellow ochre and touch of raw umber). Keep these relatively soft and atmospheric—they should feel distant. The central tall tree and surrounding foliage should read as a cohesive mass, not individual trees. Leave the edges soft where trees meet sky.

5. 05

   Model the riverbank embankment

   Paint the steep earthen bank with warm browns (raw umber, burnt sienna, and touch of ultramarine). Show the turn of the slope with shadow on the face and lighter earth tones on areas catching light. Add deep shadows under tree overhangs and along the water's edge. The texture should suggest soil and wear, not be smooth—use slightly drier brushwork here.

6. 06

   Paint the figures and their clothing

   Block in the fishing figure on the lower bank and the pair on the elevated slope. The figure in the foreground wears dark clothing; the pair above wear period dress (one pale, one darker). Keep the figures understated and simple—they're secondary to the landscape. Define their poses clearly enough that the viewer reads the fishing action and leisurely stance of the observers.

7. 07

   Develop the foliage with varied greens and light touches

   Layer the trees with varied greens and olive tones (sap green mixed differently with ochre, umber, and ultramarine for variety). Use small individual brush strokes and flecks to suggest leaves and branches catching light. Work the foliage darker in shadows and lighter where light hits. Keep edges soft, especially where foliage dissolves into the pale sky. Don't paint every leaf—suggest the canopy structure with economy of brushwork.

8. 08

   Add final details and atmospheric refinement

   Scatter small pale flowers or light accents in the foreground vegetation (visible as white spots on the sandy bank). Add delicate branches and twigs where trees are lighter, suggesting open growth. Soften any hard edges, especially in the distance. Ensure the overall atmosphere feels hazy and diffused by checking that transitions between value zones feel gradual. Add subtle warm and cool variations within the foliage to enhance depth—warmer greens advancing, cooler olive tones receding.

• Over-solidifying the foliage—Makovsky renders trees as airy, open structures with individual strokes suggesting branches and scattered leaves, not dense blocks of color. Resist the urge to fill in every gap.
• Hardening edges where they should be lost—the trees especially need soft, atmospheric edges against the pale sky. Soft edges are what create the sense of haze and distance.
• Making the earth tones of the bank too dull or gray—the warmth of the burnt sienna and raw umber is crucial to the painting's warmth and makes the greens appear fresher by contrast. Keep the earths rich and warm.
• Allowing the figures to steal the composition—they should be present and readable but should not be the visual focal point. The landscape is the subject; the figures are narrative elements within it.
• Losing the luminosity of the water—it must reflect the pale sky and feel calm. Dark or opaque water will destroy the sense of light permeating the scene.
• Painting greens that are too uniform or too bright—vary your greens considerably by adding different amounts of yellow ochre, raw umber, and ultramarine to create natural recession and shadow within the foliage.
• Forgetting the subtle warm glow—the entire scene is suffused with warm diffused light. Every shadow should contain warmth (ultramarine blue mixed with burnt sienna rather than pure blue), and every highlight should lean toward cream rather than pure white.

beginner friendliness

value contrast

palette complexity

compositional simplicity

brushwork visibility