Part of G

The painting is composed from a high vantage point looking down at a dreamlike cityscape. A dominant dark navy blue sky occupies roughly the upper half, punctuated by a cream-colored horizontal band near the horizon and a single yellow sun. The main cluster of buildings—rendered in simplified geometric forms with white, orange, and yellow faces—sits in the center-upper area, while the lower two-thirds consists of a warm reddish-brown earth scattered with smaller tilted buildings and geometric shapes in various colors. Your eye enters at the central tower complex, then drifts outward through the playful arrangement of smaller structures below.

The value hierarchy is bold and clear: near-black navy blue sky, a distinct pale cream transition band, and rich reddish-brown earth. The buildings create mid-tone accents through their orange and yellow faces, with bright highlights from unmixed white on roof planes and windows. When you squint, the composition resolves into three distinct zones—this simplicity is key to its legibility despite the complex, disorienting perspective.

• #193550

  Prussian Blue or Ultramarine Blue, pure or nearly pure

  Dominant sky; apply with visible horizontal brushstrokes

• #855652

  Raw Sienna or Burnt Sienna with small touch of Ultramarine for depth

  Main earth mass across lower two-thirds; visible brushwork

• #ede6d0

  Titanium White + Raw Sienna + touch of Cadmium Yellow

  Pale transition band at horizon and light-facing building walls

• #c78373

  Cadmium Orange + Alizarin or Rose Madder + touch of Raw Sienna

  Warm mauve-toned roofs and accent shapes in the earth

• #d7c4b0

  Titanium White + Cadmium Orange + Burnt Sienna

  Lighter tan areas on buildings and scattered small forms

• #a0746e

  Raw Sienna + Prussian Blue + Alizarin

  Deeper shadow tones within the earth and building recesses

Edges are clean and defined, with dark lines (black or dark brown) providing crisp boundaries between forms. The sky shows visible horizontal brushstrokes, particularly streaks within the blue. The earth tones reveal active brushwork—not smooth, but textured and directional. Buildings have sharper edges than the surrounding landscape, emphasizing their geometric clarity. The overall approach is economical: shapes are simplified, outlines are used to strengthen form, and texture is suggested rather than laboriously rendered.

1. 01

   Ground the sky and horizon

   Block in the dark navy blue sky across the upper half with horizontal strokes; let the brushwork show. Establish the pale cream horizon band—it's a critical anchor that separates sky from earth and defines depth. Don't overblend; the transition should feel intentional.

2. 02

   Establish the earth mass

   Lay down the warm reddish-brown earth across the lower two-thirds. Use visible brushwork here too. The color should feel substantial and slightly varied in tone, not flat. This is your base for all the tilted buildings and geometric shapes.

3. 03

   Position the central building cluster

   Rough in the main cluster of buildings in the upper-center area using warm whites, oranges, and yellows. Don't worry about precise detail yet—focus on getting the tilted, stacked arrangement and overall warm tone established.

4. 04

   Add individual building colors

   Paint the distinct colored faces of each building: white walls, orange/rust roofs, yellow-ochre facades, and pink-mauve accents. Use the pale cream tone liberally for light-struck surfaces. The buildings should feel playful and slightly impossible, not naturalistic.

5. 05

   Populate the foreground

   Fill the lower earth area with smaller tilted buildings and geometric shapes in varied colors—bright oranges, yellows, blues, greens, pinks. These should feel scattered and whimsical. Don't make them too small or timid; they're important visual anchors.

6. 06

   Add architectural details and accents

   Mark out windows, doors, and small openings on the main buildings using pale and darker tones. Add the clock face on the tall tower, the yellow sun in the upper sky, small flags, and thin geometric details. Use a smaller brush and dark lines for precision here.

7. 07

   Define with dark lines

   Use black or dark brown to outline major building forms, especially where buildings overlap or where clarity matters. Let these lines be confident and visible—they're part of the visual structure, not hidden. They'll unify the composition.

8. 08

   Final refinement and texture

   Step back and assess value relationships and color harmony. Add any small touches to strengthen the foreground-background distinction. Refine the earth texture if needed. The painting should feel complete and decorative, with each zone clearly readable despite the disorienting perspective.

• Resist the urge to 'correct' the tilted, non-naturalistic perspective—the strangeness is essential to the painting's charm and requires confident commitment to the geometric distortion.
• The small shapes scattered in the foreground are easy to paint too cautiously or too small; paint them with energy and color, or they'll disappear and the composition will feel empty.
• The dark navy sky can easily become muddy if you over-blend or add too many colors to it; keep it direct and allow visible brushwork to prevent it from looking flat and heavy.
• The transition band between sky and earth is delicate and crucial for readability; don't let it muddy into the surrounding tones, or the spatial clarity collapses.

beginner friendliness

value contrast

palette complexity

compositional simplicity

brushwork visibility