plate no. 7590

Riding on Neva river

oil, canvasRomanticismcityscapecityscaperiverbuildingsskyfigurescarriages

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in atmospheric perspective and rendering distant architectural details. It also provides practice in creating a sense of depth and scale within a landscape.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the horizon line and the placement of major buildings and figures.
step 02
Establish the sky with a light blue wash, blending in subtle variations of gray and white for the clouds.
step 03
Block in the distant buildings with muted colors, paying attention to their relative size and placement.
step 04
Paint the frozen river with a base of white, adding subtle blues and grays to create the illusion of ice and snow.
step 05
Add the figures and carriages in the foreground, using darker values to create contrast and depth.
step 06
Refine the details of the buildings and figures, adding highlights and shadows to create form.
step 07
Use dry brush technique to add texture to the snow and buildings.
step 08
Glaze over the painting with thin layers of color to unify the composition and create atmospheric perspective.

color palette

primary · titanium white · ultramarine blue · raw umber

secondary · yellow ochre · burnt sienna · payne's gray

Mix white with small amounts of blue and umber to create the cool tones of the sky and snow. Use ochre and sienna for the buildings, and gray for shadows and distant details.

techniques