plate no. 5905
Impression, Sunrise
Claude Monet, 1872
experienced study
This painting would teach students atmospheric perspective, color temperature relationships, and the impressionist technique of capturing fleeting light effects through loose, expressive brushwork.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
2
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Begin with a loose pencil sketch indicating horizon line and basic boat positions
- step 02
Block in the sky with horizontal strokes using warm grays and orange tones
- step 03
Paint the water with cooler blue-grays, leaving space for reflections
- step 04
Add the sun as a pure orange-red circle
- step 05
Paint the sun's reflection in broken vertical strokes of orange and red
- step 06
Suggest boats as dark silhouettes with minimal detail
- step 07
Add atmospheric haze around industrial structures on the left
- step 08
Refine water surface with horizontal brushstrokes to show gentle movement
color palette
primary · ultramarine blue · cadmium orange · titanium white · raw umber
secondary · cerulean blue · cadmium red · yellow ochre · payne's gray
Mix warm and cool grays by combining blue with small amounts of orange. Create atmospheric effects by adding white to all mixtures for the misty quality.
techniques
- ·Broken color application
- ·Atmospheric perspective
- ·Wet-on-wet blending for sky
- ·Horizontal brushstrokes for water
- ·Color temperature contrast
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the loose, impressionistic brushstrokes
- →Making the sun's reflection too solid rather than broken
- →Adding too much detail to the boats and background structures
- →Using colors that are too saturated for the misty atmosphere
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·#6 flat brush
- ·#2 round brush
- ·1 inch flat brush
- ·ultramarine blue oil paint
- ·cadmium orange oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·stretched canvas 16x20
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·cerulean blue
- ·cadmium red
- ·turpentine medium
Use a limited palette to maintain color harmony. Canvas should be primed with a neutral gray tone to help judge color relationships.
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