Kislovodsk

Light spills from the upper left, warming the cream and terracotta buildings that anchor the middle ground—particularly the roofed structure and white tower on the left, which become the painting's focal points. Tall Italian cypress trees on the left create a strong vertical spine, balanced by lush rounded tree masses and vegetation on the right and center. The viewer's eye enters through the warm architecture, then travels upward through the layered trees to the pale, slightly lavender-tinged sky and distant mountain ridge. Atmospheric depth is achieved through value recession: dark foreground vegetation frames the scene, mid-tone trees define the middle ground, and the pale sky recedes behind everything.

The value range spans from near-black in the densest tree foliage to nearly white in the sky and building highlights. Two distinct value zones organize the composition: dark trees (creating shape and shadow) and light architecture (focal interest). When squinted, the viewer sees architecture as light masses popping from a darker, textured field of vegetation. Mid-tones—the tree trunks, terrain, building shadows, and muted green foliage—fill the interval, creating subtle transitions rather than stark contrasts.

• #444349

  Ultramarine + Alizarin + touch of Cadmium Yellow, or Indigo + Burnt Sienna for the darkest mix

  Deepest cypress shadows, dense foliage masses especially on left and right sides, tree trunk darks

• #b5ab95

  Yellow Ochre + Burnt Sienna, or Raw Sienna with touch of Cadmium Red for warmth

  Sunlit building walls, lighter tree trunks, warmed earth tones in terrain

• #d7d1c8

  Raw Sienna + Titanium White (minimal pigment), or just very diluted warm neutral with water

  Mid-value sky passages, pale cream building walls, light atmospheric zones

• #8c7c6f

  Burnt Sienna + touch of Ultramarine, or Burnt Umber for simplicity

  Terracotta roof tiles, darker tree trunks, shadowed building elements, cool earth passages

• #616968

  Viridian + Ultramarine, or Cerulean + Cadmium Yellow + touch of Alizarin for muted olive greens

  Mid-tone foliage throughout, especially in tree masses and distant vegetation, creating aerial perspective

• #e8e2db

  Titanium White + tiny touch of Yellow Ochre, or essentially white with minimal warmth

  Brightest sky highlights, white building walls and tower, key light strikes

Edges vary deliberately by depth and light: soft, feathered edges define distant trees and dissolve into the pale sky, while closer architecture and tree foliage edges remain crisper and more defined. The cypress tree on the left is handled with controlled strokes showing directional growth, not a solid dark mass. Foliage is suggested through loose, expressive wet-on-damp work with visible variation in green values—avoiding a uniform color—while building rooflines are rendered with more deliberate mark-making. The overall effect is painterly and atmospheric rather than photographic, with brushstrokes contributing to the sense of movement and light.

1. 01

   Establish the sky and atmosphere

   Wet the entire upper two-thirds of your paper with clean water. Drop a very pale lavender-cream wash (white + tiny touch Alizarin + hint of Ultramarine) across the sky, allowing it to fade lighter toward the top. While wet, suggest the distant mountain silhouette with a cool grey-purple (Ultramarine + Alizarin + touch of Cadmium Yellow) along the horizon line, keeping edges soft and diffuse. Let this dry completely before proceeding.

2. 02

   Block in distant landscape masses

   With a medium-sized round brush, begin layering the middle-ground vegetation with mid-tone greens (Viridian + Ultramarine, fairly diluted). Establish the large tree masses that sit behind and around the buildings—especially the vegetation visible through the left side gap and the dense tree cluster on the upper right. These shapes should be loose and soft-edged, suggesting depth without detail. Allow some of the sky to show through.

3. 03

   Position the major tree forms and cypress

   Define the strong vertical cypress tree on the left with a tall, tapering dark shape using your darkest green-black mix (Ultramarine + Alizarin + Cadmium Yellow). Keep the left edge crisp where it catches light, soften the right edge. Block in the other significant tree masses with varied greens—darker on the right cluster, lighter olive greens in the center-right. Work around where the buildings will sit; these tree shapes frame the architecture.

4. 04

   Place the buildings as light focal points

   With a pale cream wash (Raw Sienna + Titanium White), establish the warm building walls in the lower-middle and left-center. The white tower on the left should be nearly pure white; the main building with the terracotta roof should be warmer and more cream-colored. Keep shapes simple and structural at this stage—no detail, just the placement and value. These light shapes will pop against the darker trees you've already laid.

5. 05

   Model architectural forms and roofing

   Add the terracotta roofs using Burnt Sienna + touch of Ultramarine. Suggest the roof angles with confident brushstrokes; observe that the main roof has a warm peachy glow on its sunlit slope. Add subtle shadows to building walls with a diluted mix of your building color + touch of Ultramarine, keeping these shadows soft. Indicate window openings with minimal strokes—just enough to suggest form without overworking. The architecture should remain simplified and luminous.

6. 06

   Deepen tree canopies and define structure

   Return to your darkest value mix and selectively deepen the tree foliage, especially in the cypress on the left and the dense masses on the right. Create variation by leaving some mid-tone greens visible; trees are not uniform. Add darker definition to tree trunks where they're visible, and use your dark mix to suggest shadows beneath tree canopies that frame the buildings. This step creates visual separation and makes the architecture read more clearly against the vegetation.

7. 07

   Refine foreground and add atmospheric detail

   Strengthen foreground foliage with varied greens—introduce brighter yellow-greens (Cadmium Yellow + Viridian) in sunlit areas on the right, keep cooler muted greens (Viridian + Ultramarine) in shadowed areas. Add flicks of foliage texture with your smaller brush, suggesting leaf clusters without painting individual leaves. Brighten sky highlights with additional pale washes where light catches, and add subtle atmospheric glazes to unify temperature and value transitions between major elements.

8. 08

   Final accents and atmospheric unification

   Apply your deepest darks selectively in tree canopy shadows and beneath dense foliage masses to establish final depth. Sharpen a few key edges on the architecture and cypress to direct the eye, then soften surrounding edges to pull back into atmosphere. Add any remaining bright highlights to building walls and sky. Step back frequently to ensure the painting reads as a unified whole—atmospheric and luminous, not fragmented. Let transparent glazes do the work rather than opaque layering in final passes.

• The cypress tree on the left risks becoming a flat, uniform dark shape—avoid this by varying the greens within it (lighter greens toward the light edge, deeper forest tones in shadow) and allowing some of the background sky to show through gaps
• Building rooflines are angular and complex; resist the urge to outline them heavily or treat them as mere linear structures—let soft foundation washes show through and suggest form with value shifts rather than contour
• Distant mountains and mid-ground vegetation can easily become too dark or saturated, which flattens perspective—keep these washes dilute, cool in temperature, and soft-edged to maintain atmospheric recession
• The abundant foliage throughout can turn muddy or overwhelming if you overwork transitions—let washes overlap and dry naturally, adding crisp details only in foreground trees where they matter most

beginner friendliness

value contrast

palette complexity

compositional simplicity

brushwork visibility