plate no. 5025

Running dogs

oil, canvasRealismanimal paintingdogslandscapefieldtreesskyanimals

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in depicting animal anatomy in motion and creating atmospheric perspective in a landscape. It also provides practice in using broken color and scumbling techniques to create texture.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 15 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement and proportions of the dogs and the landscape elements.
step 02
Establish the sky and background with broad, blended strokes, paying attention to the atmospheric perspective.
step 03
Block in the general shapes and values of the dogs, using a limited palette of earth tones.
step 04
Refine the anatomy and details of the dogs, adding highlights and shadows to create form.
step 05
Develop the foreground with broken color and scumbling techniques to create texture and depth.
step 06
Add details to the trees and foliage, using a variety of greens and browns.
step 07
Glaze and scumble to unify the painting and create a sense of atmosphere.
step 08
Add final highlights and details to the dogs and foreground.

color palette

primary · yellow ochre · burnt umber · titanium white

secondary · ultramarine blue · sap green · cadmium yellow

Mix various shades of brown and green by combining the primary colors. Use white to create lighter values and blue to create cooler shadows.

techniques

·broken color
·scumbling
·glazing
·atmospheric perspective
·wet-on-dry blending

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details and losing the overall sense of atmosphere.
→Failing to accurately depict the anatomy of the dogs.
→Using too much detail in the background, which can flatten the perspective.
→Creating muddy colors by overmixing.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas
·oil paints (yellow ochre, burnt umber, titanium white, ultramarine blue, sap green, cadmium yellow)
·linseed oil
·turpentine
·assorted brushes (round and flat)
·palette
·palette knife