Red House

A street scene viewed down a narrow alleyway flanked by tall buildings, with a white steeple piercing the sky at the center-back. The composition pulls your eye down the street toward that focal point. On the left, a pale blue-grey building anchors the cool side; on the right, warm rust-red and ochre buildings dominate. A horse-drawn carriage sits silhouetted in the foreground street, scaled small to emphasize depth. The sky above is a soft, muted greenish-grey, creating an atmospheric envelope that reads as overcast urban light.

The darks are reserved for outlines and shadows—thick, assertive strokes that define every building edge and architectural element. The lightest light is the steeple itself, almost white against the green sky. Mid-tones (warm browns and olive ochres) occupy most building surfaces. When you squint, the composition reads as silhouettes of buildings receding down the street, with the steeple providing a bright punctuation. The outlines create the strongest value contrast and visual interest.

• #93958a

  Viridian + Raw Sienna + white, or Cadmium Yellow + Ultramarine + white

  Sky, filling the entire upper half with muted atmosphere

• #4a2c20

  Burnt Umber + Ultramarine or Ultramarine dark

  Building shadows, roof undersides, the darkest recessed areas

• #4e4030

  Burnt Sienna + Raw Sienna, possibly with Cadmium Orange

  Warm terracotta buildings on the right side; main building surfaces

• #76725b

  Raw Sienna + Ultramarine + white, or Olive Green base

  Mid-tone building walls, particularly the left building and architectural shadows

• #2a2420

  Burnt Umber + Ultramarine or pure Ultramarine dark

  Bold outlines defining all architectural forms, window openings, carriage silhouette

• #5e563f

  Raw Sienna + touches of Ultramarine or Burnt Umber

  Roof tiles, weathered building surfaces, mid-shadow areas

Edges are almost exclusively hard and defined by bold, confident dark outlines—there are almost no soft edges in this work. Brushwork within the buildings is loose and textured, with visible dry-brush strokes suggesting architectural aging. The outlines are painted last and appear opaque, sitting visibly on top of lighter washes. This thick-line approach is fundamental to the expressionist energy; the outlines are not timid.

1. 01

   Map the composition lightly

   Lightly sketch the street perspective, indicating the angle at which buildings recede toward the steeple. Mark the horizon line (roughly mid-composition). Indicate the positions of the major building masses on left and right, and the steeple at center-back. Keep the carriage outline very simple—just a small silhouette in the street.

2. 02

   Wash the sky and establish the temperature range

   Lay a loose wash of greenish-grey (Viridian + Raw Sienna + white) across the entire upper half. Keep it wet enough to be gestural, not mechanical. Let it vary slightly in value—slightly warmer near the horizon, slightly cooler at the top. This establishes the atmospheric tone and will unify the whole piece.

3. 03

   Block in the buildings with warm and cool masses

   Working quickly while the sky is damp where it touches the buildings, lay in the right-side buildings with warm terracotta washes (Burnt Sienna + Cadmium Orange). Block in the left building with cooler tones (Ultramarine + Raw Sienna + white). Allow these to mingle slightly where they meet the sky. Don't worry about details—just establish the major warm/cool dialogue.

4. 04

   Develop building value and texture

   Add shadow shapes to the building faces using darker mixes (Burnt Umber + Ultramarine). Suggest roof tiles with rough, directional strokes on the rooflines. Add some dry-brush texture to building surfaces to suggest weathering and age. The left building should read as somewhat cooler and lighter; the right buildings warmer and more oxidized.

5. 05

   Indicate windows and architectural features

   Drop in window shapes as simple dark openings (pure Ultramarine dark or Burnt Umber). A few windows on the right building show warm golden light—leave these as pale yellow-ochre while the rest are dark. Avoid detail; windows are silhouettes that anchor the vertical surfaces and measure the building scale.

6. 06

   Paint the steeple and street pavement

   Paint the steeple with near-white (very dilute white or pale cream) to make it advance against the green sky. In the street foreground, lay down a soft greyish wash to recede the pavement and prepare for the carriage silhouette. Let the pavement be understated—the focus is above.

7. 07

   Apply bold, definitive dark outlines

   Using a mix of Ultramarine dark or Burnt Umber + Ultramarine (opaque and decisive), paint the outlines that define every building edge, roofline, window frame, and architectural articulation. These lines should be confident and visible—they're expressive, not hidden. This is the most important step for the painting's character.

8. 08

   Complete the carriage and final details

   Paint the horse and carriage as a dark silhouette in the street, keeping it small and simple. Add any final window lights, adjustments to roofline character, and ensure the steeple reads as the brightest focal point. Step back and assess: the outlines should dominate the visual language, and the warm/cool building contrast should be clear.

• Bold outlines painted tentatively or with wavering lines will read as uncertainty rather than expressionist energy—commit fully to these marks.
• Over-blending or over-working the building washes will lose the loose, gestural quality; let washes dry with visible texture and directional strokes.
• Losing the warm/cool temperature contrast between right (warm rust) and left (cool grey-blue) buildings flattens the composition and weakens the spatial push.
• Making the carriage too detailed or too large will pull focus from the architecture; it should read as a small accent that confirms scale, not a secondary focal point.
• Rendering windows as outlined shapes rather than dark, empty holes will make the buildings look like flat patterns instead of solid structures with depth.

beginner friendliness

value contrast

palette complexity

compositional simplicity

brushwork visibility