In old Yerevan

Light arrives from the upper right-back, illuminating the snow-capped mountain as the dominant light mass—it immediately draws the eye as the brightest, most solid anchor. The composition recedes from a busy foreground plaza with scattered figures and a gnarled, pale tree toward distant warm-toned buildings (left: red-tiled church domes; center-right: ochre and cream structures). The eye travels: foreground tree and figures → middle-ground buildings → background mountain. The pale lavender tree with twisted dark branches sits left-center in the near plane, providing textural complexity and framing depth.

The mountain is the true white, the clearest light in the entire composition. The sky behind it is a medium-light gray-blue, creating separation. A distinct mid-tone layer dominates: the building walls, ground plane, and much of the tree foliage cluster around warm medium-gray and soft mauve. The darkest darks are reserved for tree-branch silhouettes and deep shadows in recessed areas. Squint to see: white mountain → pale sky → warm mid buildings → ground → dark accents.

• #e4e4d9

  Titanium white + touch of yellow ochre

  Snow on mountain peak, brightest sky passages, key highlights on buildings and foreground

• #aeb2b6

  Ultramarine blue + titanium white + touch of burnt umber

  The sky surrounding the mountain; soft atmospheric ground

• #c9c7bf

  Yellow ochre + burnt umber + titanium white

  Building walls, tan ground plane, pale foreground masses

• #9d8e8a

  Burnt umber + ultramarine + yellow ochre

  Tree foliage mid-tones, building shadows, warm mid-ground transitions

• #737574

  Ultramarine + burnt umber + gray

  Darker ground shadows, depth in tree foliage, building recesses

• #4b3f40

  Ultramarine + burnt umber, minimal white

  Tree branch silhouettes, the darkest shadow accents in the foreground

The mountain edge against sky is soft and blended—atmosphere does this work. The tree foliage is loose and gestural, with directional dry brushstrokes defining leaf clusters rather than rendering individual leaves; the dark branches cut through decisively with hard, thin strokes. Buildings have defined outlines but with some softness where they recede; the brushwork throughout is visible and expressive, never smoothly blended to polish.

1. 01

   Establish the mountain and sky anchor

   Lightly sketch the snow-capped mountain silhouette and horizon line. Block in the sky with your medium blue-gray, keeping it loose. Reserve the white peak—do not paint it yet, leave the canvas showing through or a pale tone. This establishes your value anchor and composition.

2. 02

   Block in the building masses

   Lay warm tan and cream tones for the main building walls (center and right), and deeper terracotta-red for the church domes and roofs on the left. Keep these as simple masses first—don't draw details. Notice how the buildings sit lower and warmer than the sky, creating atmospheric recession.

3. 03

   Place and structure the foreground tree

   This is the compositional anchor of the near plane. Block in the overall gnarled shape with pale lavender-gray (white + blue + hint of burnt umber), then immediately establish the major dark branch lines cutting through with thin, expressive strokes. The tree leans and twists—follow that gesture, don't make it symmetrical.

4. 04

   Indicate the ground plane and foreground spatial depth

   Block in the plaza/courtyard floor with warm cream and soft tan. Notice it slopes upward and recedes under the buildings. Scatter small figure silhouettes at various depths—some closer (larger), some far (tiny specks)—to establish scale. The ground is not empty; it's articulated by light and shadow.

5. 05

   Develop the tree foliage and foreground details

   Build up the tree's foliage with layered, loose brushstrokes in warm mauve and soft gray-green. Let the pale underpainting show through. Add darker accents and shadows selectively. Work the foreground vegetation and any architectural details in the lower corners—gates, edges of structures—but keep them subordinate to the tree.

6. 06

   Refine the mountain and establish atmospheric perspective

   Now paint the snow peak with pale cream-white, keeping the top edge soft where it meets sky. The mountain should feel solid and distant. Adjust the middle-distance buildings where they approach the mountain—they should be slightly warmer and less distinct than foreground buildings to show depth.

7. 07

   Integrate values and check temperature balance

   Step back and assess the full composition. The foreground should be warmer and darker than the middle distance; the mountain should glow as the cooled, distant light mass. The tree should read as a strong focal point without overwhelming the mountain. Make small adjustments to edges and color temperature throughout—soften some transitions, sharpen others selectively.

• The tree's gnarled branches are easy to render too symmetrically or too wildly—study its actual twisted asymmetry and twisted gesture; it should feel alive but controlled
• The color harmony is muted and warm overall—resist adding bright saturated colors, which will destroy the painting's cohesive, earthy mood
• The mountain can feel flat or floaty if you don't establish soft atmospheric transition between it and the sky; the edge dissolves gently, not crisply
• The tiny foreground figures are easy to omit or rush, but they provide essential human scale and liveliness—place them deliberately at varying depths
• The buildings on the left (church structures) have distinctive red-tiled roofs and forms; oversimplifying them reads as generic rather than specific to Armenian architecture

beginner friendliness

value contrast

palette complexity

compositional simplicity

brushwork visibility