plate no. 7591
North Africa
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in loose brushwork and creating atmospheric perspective. It also provides 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. 6 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the main shapes: the horizon line, the palm trees, the camel and rider, and the distant hills.
- step 02
Block in the sky with a thin wash of light blue and white, allowing some brushstrokes to show.
- step 03
Establish the basic ground color with a mix of browns and ochres, varying the tones slightly.
- step 04
Paint the palm tree trunks with darker browns, adding highlights and shadows to create form.
- step 05
Add the palm fronds using short, broken strokes of green and brown.
- step 06
Paint the camel and rider with simplified shapes and values, focusing on the overall impression.
- step 07
Add details to the figures and the landscape, such as the small figures near the trees and the distant hills.
- step 08
Refine the painting by adjusting values and adding highlights where needed.
color palette
primary · burnt umber · titanium white · yellow ochre
secondary · ultramarine blue · sap green · cadmium yellow
Mix browns with blues and yellows to create variations in the ground color. Use white to lighten the sky and create highlights on the trees and figures. Mix greens with browns to create muted tones for the palm fronds.
techniques
- ·dry brush texture
- ·broken color
- ·atmospheric perspective
- ·scumbling
- ·alla prima
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the details and losing the loose, impressionistic feel.
- →Making the colors too saturated and bright.
- →Failing to establish a clear value structure.
- →Not simplifying the forms enough.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas
- ·burnt umber oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·ultramarine blue oil paint
- ·round brushes
- ·flat brushes
- ·linseed oil
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·medium gloss
- ·easel
Use a medium-textured canvas to allow for visible brushstrokes. Consider using a limited palette to simplify the color mixing process.
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