plate no. 9953

ON THE WASTE LANDS NEAR KALOCSA

Marianne Stokes, 1909

oilImpressionismlandscapetreeslandscapewaterskyfiguresreflection

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in atmospheric perspective and color mixing to create a sense of depth and distance. It also provides practice in capturing reflections in water and simplifying complex forms.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 10 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement of the trees, water, and horizon line.
step 02
Block in the sky with light blues and grays, blending softly to create cloud formations.
step 03
Establish the base colors for the landscape, using muted greens and browns.
step 04
Paint the distant trees and foliage with lighter, cooler tones to create atmospheric perspective.
step 05
Add the taller trees, focusing on their shapes and the variations in their foliage.
step 06
Paint the water, capturing the reflections of the trees and sky.
step 07
Add the figures in the middle ground, using small brushstrokes and simplified forms.
step 08
Refine details and add highlights to create depth and dimension.

color palette

primary · cerulean blue · raw umber · sap green · titanium white

secondary · cadmium yellow · alizarin crimson

Mix greens by combining blues and yellows with touches of raw umber to create muted, natural tones. Achieve the sky colors by blending blues and whites with small amounts of raw umber for subtle grays.

techniques

·wet-on-wet blending
·scumbling
·atmospheric perspective
·broken color

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details and losing the overall impressionistic feel.
→Making the colors too saturated and not capturing the muted tones of the landscape.
→Ignoring atmospheric perspective and not creating a sense of depth.
→Making reflections too literal and not simplifying them to match the style.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas 12x16
·acrylic or oil paints
·#4 round brush
·#8 flat brush
·palette
·palette knife
·linseed oil (if using oil paints)
·odorless mineral spirits (for cleaning brushes)

optional

·easel
·medium gloss
·retarder medium (for acrylics)

Use a limited palette of colors to simplify the mixing process and achieve a harmonious color scheme. Consider using a toned canvas to create a more unified base.

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