plate no. 0249
Quiet hours
Alessandro Milesi, 1893
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in depicting reflections in water and creating atmospheric perspective using value and soft edges. It also provides practice in rendering architectural details in a loose, impressionistic style.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
4
compositional simplicity
3
study guide
est. 12 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the main shapes: buildings, gondola, and water line.
- step 02
Establish the darkest and lightest values to create a value map.
- step 03
Block in the large areas of tone in the water, using horizontal brushstrokes.
- step 04
Add the basic shapes of the buildings and gondola, focusing on accurate proportions.
- step 05
Develop the reflections in the water, paying attention to distortion and value changes.
- step 06
Refine the details of the buildings, adding windows, architectural elements, and foliage.
- step 07
Soften edges and blend tones to create a sense of atmosphere.
- step 08
Add final highlights and details to the gondola and water surface.
color palette
primary · ivory black · raw umber · titanium white
secondary · payne's gray · yellow ochre
Achieve the various gray tones by mixing black and white in different ratios. Add small amounts of yellow ochre or raw umber to warm up the grays for the buildings. Use Payne's gray to deepen shadows in the water.
techniques
- ·value studies
- ·atmospheric perspective
- ·wet-on-dry blending
- ·scumbling
- ·broken color
common pitfalls
- →Overworking the details and losing the loose, impressionistic feel.
- →Making the reflections too literal and not distorted enough.
- →Failing to create enough contrast between light and shadow.
- →Using too much detail in the background, which flattens the perspective.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·stretched canvas 16x20
- ·ivory black oil paint
- ·raw umber oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·payne's gray oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·#6 round brush
- ·#8 flat brush
optional
- ·palette knife
- ·linseed oil
- ·odorless mineral spirits
Use a limited palette to simplify the color mixing process. Consider using a toned canvas to establish a mid-tone base.
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