plate no. 5693

Posses-Dessous - a Swiss mountain barn

Hubertine Heijermans, 2003

watercolor, paperRealismlandscapebuildingbarnlandscapearchitectureshadowsroad

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in watercolor layering and creating realistic textures, particularly for stone and wood. It also provides practice in understanding and depicting light and shadow.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the main shapes of the barn and surrounding structures, focusing on accurate proportions.
step 02
Apply a light wash of diluted yellow ochre and burnt sienna to the stone walls, allowing it to dry completely.
step 03
Layer in the individual stones with varying shades of gray, brown, and ochre, using a small brush for detail.
step 04
Paint the wooden sections of the barn with a mix of burnt umber and raw sienna, adding darker tones for shadows.
step 05
Create the roof texture with short, broken strokes of burnt sienna and brown.
step 06
Paint the road with a mix of gray, green, and purple washes, varying the tones to create depth.
step 07
Add shadows using a mix of ultramarine blue and burnt umber, paying attention to the direction of light.
step 08
Refine details and add highlights with a clean, damp brush to lift color.

color palette

primary · yellow ochre · burnt sienna · burnt umber · ultramarine blue

secondary · raw sienna · gray · purple · green

Mix various shades of brown and gray by combining the primary colors. Use diluted washes for the sky and distant landscape. Achieve the stone texture by layering different shades of ochre, brown, and gray.

techniques

·watercolor washes
·dry brushing
·layering
·lifting color
·glazing

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details in the stone walls.
→Making the shadows too dark or uniform.
→Not allowing washes to dry completely before layering.
→Losing the light and airy feel of the watercolor medium.

materials

surface · watercolor paper 140lb

required

·watercolor paints
·watercolor paper 140lb
·round brushes (sizes 2, 6, 8)
·flat brush (size 1/2 inch)
·palette
·water container
·masking tape
·pencil

optional

·palette knife
·kneaded eraser
·ruler
·watercolor pencils

Use high-quality watercolor paper to prevent buckling and allow for better blending. Experiment with different brush sizes to achieve varying levels of detail.

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