plate no. 1040
Moonlight, Waning Winter
Homer Watson, 1924
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in atmospheric perspective and creating texture with visible brushstrokes. It also offers practice in simplifying complex scenes into basic shapes and values.
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 tree, buildings, and horizon line.
- step 02
Block in the sky with a light pink/purple hue, blending it softly.
- step 03
Establish the basic values of the landscape, using darker tones for the foreground and lighter tones for the background.
- step 04
Paint the tree trunk and branches, paying attention to the branching structure.
- step 05
Add details to the buildings, keeping them simple and slightly blurred.
- step 06
Create texture in the foreground using short, broken brushstrokes.
- step 07
Add highlights to suggest moonlight on the landscape.
- step 08
Refine details and adjust values as needed.
color palette
primary · raw umber · titanium white · ultramarine blue
secondary · cadmium red · yellow ochre
Mix raw umber and white for the ground, adding small amounts of blue and red to create variations in tone. Use white with a touch of red and blue for the sky. Yellow ochre can be used sparingly for highlights.
techniques
- ·dry brushing
- ·scumbling
- ·atmospheric perspective
- ·broken color
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the details and losing the overall impressionistic effect.
- →Making the colors too saturated.
- →Failing to create a sense of depth through atmospheric perspective.
- →Not varying the brushstrokes enough to create texture.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·ultramarine blue oil paint
- ·cadmium red oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·round brushes
- ·flat brushes
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil
- ·odorless mineral spirits
A medium-textured canvas will help to create a more textured effect. Use a limited palette to achieve color harmony.
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