plate no. 8762

Looking for Food in a Gutter

Ivan Vladimirov, 1919

oilRealismgenre paintingfiguresbuildingsstreetpovertyeveryday lifechildren

some experience helpful

This painting offers a good opportunity to practice capturing figures in simple forms and creating a sense of atmosphere with muted colors. Students can learn to suggest details rather than rendering them precisely, focusing on overall tone and mood.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the main shapes: the buildings, figures, and the general ground plane.
step 02
Establish the overall value structure with a light wash of a neutral color like raw umber.
step 03
Define the darker areas of the buildings and figures with a darker wash, paying attention to the light source.
step 04
Introduce local colors to the figures' clothing and the ground, keeping the colors muted and desaturated.
step 05
Add details to the faces and clothing, using small brushstrokes and varying the pressure to create texture.
step 06
Refine the edges of the shapes, softening some and sharpening others to create depth.
step 07
Add final details such as the basket and any debris on the ground.
step 08
Glaze with a thin wash of a unifying color (e.g., burnt sienna) to create harmony.

color palette

primary · raw umber · burnt sienna · ivory black

secondary · ultramarine blue · yellow ochre · alizarin crimson

Mix neutral grays by combining complementary colors. Use raw umber and burnt sienna as a base for many colors, adding small amounts of other colors to adjust the hue and value. Mute colors by adding a touch of the complementary color.

techniques