plate no. 1663

Monhegan Bell

Jamie Wyeth, 1978

oilContemporary Realismlandscapebellbuildingskygrassarchitecturelandscape

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in simplifying complex forms and using a limited palette to create atmospheric perspective. It also provides practice in rendering textures with subtle brushwork.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes: the house, the bell, and the horizon line.
step 02
Establish the sky with a thin wash of muted grays and yellows, allowing for variations in tone.
step 03
Block in the large shapes of the house with white, paying attention to the subtle shadows and highlights.
step 04
Paint the red roof, mixing a muted red-orange and varying the tone to suggest form.
step 05
Render the bell with a base coat of green, then add layers of darker and lighter greens to create depth and texture.
step 06
Paint the bell's support structure with dark browns and blacks, paying attention to the cast shadows.
step 07
Add the foreground grass with dark greens and browns, using short, broken brushstrokes.
step 08
Refine details and adjust values to create a sense of depth and atmosphere.

color palette

primary · titanium white · burnt umber · yellow ochre · sap green

secondary · cadmium red light · ultramarine blue

Achieve the muted tones by mixing complementary colors (e.g., red and green, blue and orange) with white. Use yellow ochre to warm the white for the house and sky.

techniques

·dry brushing
·glazing
·atmospheric perspective
·limited palette
·scumbling

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details
→Using colors that are too bright or saturated
→Ignoring the subtle shifts in value
→Not establishing a clear focal point
→Making the bell too uniform in color

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas
·titanium white oil paint
·burnt umber oil paint
·yellow ochre oil paint
·sap green oil paint
·#4 round brush
·#6 flat brush
·palette

optional

·palette knife
·linseed oil
·odorless mineral spirits
·medium gloss

Use a canvas with a medium texture to help create the subtle brushwork effects. Consider using a limited palette to simplify the color mixing process.

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