plate no. 4146

Ice Landscape

oilBaroquelandscapeicefiguresbuildingsskytreesboats

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in atmospheric perspective and painting figures in a landscape. It also provides practice in rendering textures of brick, ice, and bare trees.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 20 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement of the buildings, ice, and horizon line.
step 02
Establish the sky with a light, cloudy wash, blending colors smoothly.
step 03
Block in the main shapes of the buildings using a base color of burnt sienna and umber.
step 04
Paint the ice surface with a cool gray tone, varying the values to suggest depth and reflections.
step 05
Add the figures, starting with the larger groups and gradually adding details to the individuals.
step 06
Paint the bare tree branches, paying attention to their intricate structure and overlapping forms.
step 07
Add details to the buildings, including windows, doors, and roof tiles.
step 08
Refine the overall painting, adjusting values and adding highlights to create a sense of light and atmosphere.

color palette

primary · burnt sienna · raw umber · titanium white · Prussian blue

secondary · yellow ochre · ivory black · cadmium red light · payne's gray

Achieve the muted tones by mixing the primary colors with white and small amounts of black. Use thin washes of color for the sky and ice, and thicker paint for the buildings and figures.

techniques

·atmospheric perspective
·figure painting
·glazing
·dry brushing
·scumbling

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details too early in the process.
→Failing to create a sense of depth and atmosphere.
→Making the figures too uniform and lacking individuality.
→Ignoring the subtle color variations in the ice and sky.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·Stretched canvas 18x24
·Oil paints (burnt sienna, raw umber, titanium white, Prussian blue, yellow ochre, ivory black)
·Round brushes (#2, #4, #6)
·Flat brushes (#6, #8)
·Palette
·Linseed oil
·Odorless mineral spirits
·Rags