plate no. 6015
La maison blanche
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in color mixing to achieve subtle variations and layering brushstrokes to create texture and depth. It's a good exercise in simplifying complex forms into basic shapes and colors.
technical profile
palette complexity
4
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
3
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Sketch the basic shapes of the house, path, and garden.
- step 02
Block in the main colors of the roof, walls, and ground.
- step 03
Add the darker values to define the shadows and forms.
- step 04
Start building up the texture of the roof and garden with short brushstrokes.
- step 05
Mix and apply the various colors of the flowers, focusing on color relationships.
- step 06
Add details to the windows, shutters, and door.
- step 07
Refine the details of the path and foliage.
- step 08
Add final highlights and adjust values as needed.
color palette
primary · titanium white · burnt sienna · sap green
secondary · cadmium yellow · alizarin crimson · ultramarine blue
Mix white with small amounts of yellow and sienna for the walls. Achieve the roof color by blending burnt sienna with touches of red and umber. Use green mixed with yellow and blue for the foliage.
techniques
- ·broken color
- ·scumbling
- ·layering
- ·color mixing
- ·alla prima
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the details too early.
- →Using colors straight from the tube without mixing.
- →Not paying attention to the overall value structure.
- →Making the colors too saturated.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas 12x16
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·burnt sienna oil paint
- ·sap green oil paint
- ·cadmium yellow oil paint
- ·alizarin crimson oil paint
- ·ultramarine blue oil paint
- ·#4 round brush
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil
- ·odorless mineral spirits
Use a medium-tooth canvas to help create texture. Consider using a limited palette to simplify color mixing.
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