plate no. 7056
Mountains and Lake
Lawren Harris, 1929
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students understand color mixing for atmospheric perspective and practice simplified geometric shapes to represent complex forms. It also offers practice in creating smooth gradients and reflections.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
2
value contrast
4
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Sketch the basic shapes of the mountains and lake, paying attention to their relative sizes and positions.
- step 02
Block in the sky with a light gray-blue, creating a smooth gradient from top to bottom.
- step 03
Paint the distant mountains with a darker blue, blending the edges to create a soft, hazy effect.
- step 04
Fill in the foreground mountains with a very dark, almost black, color.
- step 05
Add the white mountain, carefully painting the horizontal lines and vertical details.
- step 06
Paint the lake with a green hue, reflecting the colors of the sky and mountains.
- step 07
Add the reflection of the white mountain, making it slightly darker and less defined than the original.
- step 08
Refine the details and edges of the mountains and lake, creating a sense of depth and realism.
color palette
primary · titanium white · ultramarine blue · black
secondary · viridian green · gray
Mix different proportions of blue and black to achieve the various shades of the mountains. Use white to lighten the blues and create the sky. Mix blue and green to create the lake color.
techniques
- ·color blending
- ·atmospheric perspective
- ·geometric simplification
- ·creating reflections
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the details and losing the simplified shapes.
- →Making the reflections too bright or defined.
- →Not creating enough contrast between the foreground and background mountains.
- →Using too much detail in the mountains
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·ultramarine blue oil paint
- ·black oil paint
- ·viridian green oil paint
- ·round brushes (various sizes)
- ·palette
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil
- ·medium gloss
Use a smooth canvas to achieve the desired blending effect. Consider using a medium to thin the paint and improve blending.
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