plate no. 5681
La Taverne
some experience helpful
This painting offers practice in capturing figures in a dimly lit environment and creating a sense of atmosphere through loose brushwork and limited color palette. Students can learn to suggest details rather than rendering them precisely.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
4
compositional simplicity
3
study guide
est. 12 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement of figures and the main architectural elements.
- step 02
Establish the dark and light areas using a thin wash of burnt umber or a similar dark brown.
- step 03
Block in the main shapes of the figures and the background with simplified color masses.
- step 04
Start building up the values, working from dark to light, and gradually adding more detail.
- step 05
Use loose, expressive brushstrokes to suggest textures and details, avoiding hard edges.
- step 06
Pay attention to the light source and how it affects the shadows and highlights.
- step 07
Mix subtle variations of browns, grays, and creams to create a sense of depth and atmosphere.
- step 08
Add final highlights and details to bring the painting to life.
color palette
primary · burnt umber · raw umber · titanium white · ivory black
secondary · yellow ochre · raw sienna · cadmium red light
Achieve the muted tones by mixing browns with white and small amounts of yellow ochre or red. Use black sparingly to deepen shadows.
techniques
- ·underpainting
- ·chiaroscuro
- ·scumbling
- ·alla prima
- ·limited palette
common pitfalls
- →overworking details
- →using too many colors
- →flattening the values
- →losing the sense of atmosphere
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·burnt umber oil paint
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·ivory black oil paint
- ·#4 round brush
- ·#8 filbert brush
- ·linseed oil
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·medium gloss
- ·odorless mineral spirits
Use a canvas with a medium texture to allow for expressive brushwork. Consider toning the canvas with a thin wash of burnt umber before starting.
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