plate no. 9463
Landscape
Horia Bernea, 1983
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in layering colors to create depth and practicing loose, expressive brushstrokes to capture the essence of a landscape. It also provides practice in creating atmospheric perspective.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
3
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement of the trees and the horizon line.
- step 02
Block in the sky with light blues and grays, using horizontal brushstrokes.
- step 03
Establish the background landscape with muted greens and purples, creating a sense of distance.
- step 04
Paint the main trees, starting with the dark trunks and branches, then adding layers of green for the leaves.
- step 05
Develop the foreground foliage with a variety of greens, using short, broken brushstrokes.
- step 06
Add small details like the red flowers and the texture in the grass.
- step 07
Refine the highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.
- step 08
Add final touches to the sky and background to unify the painting.
color palette
primary · sap green · cerulean blue · raw umber
secondary · cadmium red · titanium white · yellow ochre
Mix greens by combining blues and yellows with umber to create muted tones. Use white to lighten colors and create highlights. Mix red with umber to create earth tones.
techniques
- ·broken color
- ·scumbling
- ·atmospheric perspective
- ·wet-on-dry layering
- ·alla prima
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the details and losing the loose, impressionistic feel.
- →Using too much bright green and not enough muted tones.
- →Failing to create a sense of depth in the landscape.
- →Making the tree trunks too uniform and lacking variation.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·acrylic or oil paints
- ·round brushes (various sizes)
- ·flat brushes (various sizes)
- ·palette
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil (if using oil paints)
- ·odorless mineral spirits (for cleaning brushes)
optional
- ·painting medium
- ·easel
- ·rags
Use a medium-textured canvas to allow for better paint adhesion and texture. Consider using a limited palette to simplify color mixing.
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