plate no. 5780

Ice on the moat entertainment

oilBaroquegenre paintingfiguresicebuildingsskywaterlandscape

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in depicting figures in a landscape and understanding atmospheric perspective to create depth. It also provides practice in rendering textures like brick and ice.

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 buildings, figures, and horizon line.
step 02
Block in the sky with a light blue-gray wash, adding a suggestion of clouds.
step 03
Establish the main shapes of the buildings with a mixture of burnt sienna and umber, varying the tones to suggest light and shadow.
step 04
Paint the ice surface with a cool gray, reflecting the sky and buildings. Use horizontal strokes to suggest the flatness of the ice.
step 05
Add the figures, starting with the larger ones in the foreground and gradually decreasing in size towards the background.
step 06
Develop the details of the buildings, adding windows, textures, and architectural features.
step 07
Refine the figures, adding clothing details and suggesting movement.
step 08
Add final details such as birds in the sky and reflections in the ice.

color palette

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

secondary · yellow ochre · ivory black · cadmium red light

Mix various shades of brown and gray by combining burnt sienna, raw umber, and white. Use Prussian blue and white to create the sky and ice tones. Add small amounts of yellow ochre and cadmium red to warm up the browns.

techniques