plate no. 4660

Forest Glade, Santa Barbara

Julius LeBlanc Stewart, 1918

oil, canvasRealismlandscapetreesforestlandscapefoliagelightglade

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in layering colors to create depth and atmosphere, as well as capturing the effect of light filtering through trees. It also provides practice in rendering textures of foliage and tree bark.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement of the trees and the overall perspective.
step 02
Establish the light source and map out the areas of light and shadow.
step 03
Block in the sky and distant background with thin washes of color.
step 04
Begin layering in the greens and browns of the foliage, starting with darker values and gradually adding lighter highlights.
step 05
Add details to the tree trunks, paying attention to the texture of the bark.
step 06
Refine the foliage by adding individual leaves and branches.
step 07
Introduce the small figure and other details in the mid-ground.
step 08
Add final highlights and shadows to enhance the sense of depth and atmosphere.

color palette

primary · sap green · raw umber · titanium white · cerulean blue

secondary · burnt sienna · yellow ochre · alizarin crimson

Achieve the various greens by mixing sap green with raw umber and titanium white. Use cerulean blue and white for the sky, and add a touch of burnt sienna to warm up the shadows.

techniques