plate no. 5990

Sacré Coeur

oilNaïve Art (Primitivism)cityscapebuildingarchitecturecityscapeskyfiguresstairs

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in architectural drawing, linear perspective, and creating a sense of depth through layering and color variations. It also provides practice in simplifying complex forms into basic shapes.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the Sacré-Cœur and surrounding buildings, paying attention to proportions.
step 02
Sketch in the stairs, figures and landscape elements.
step 03
Apply a thin wash of light blue for the sky, blending gently.
step 04
Block in the base colors for the buildings using a mix of white, beige, and grey.
step 05
Add details to the architecture, such as windows, arches, and decorative elements, using a fine brush and darker shades of grey and brown.
step 06
Paint the figures with simple shapes and colors, adding minimal detail.
step 07
Add the green for the landscape and the grey for the stairs.
step 08
Refine details and add highlights and shadows to create depth.

color palette

primary · titanium white · raw umber · cerulean blue

secondary · burnt sienna · payne's gray · sap green

Mix white with small amounts of raw umber and burnt sienna to achieve the various shades of beige and grey for the buildings. Use cerulean blue with white for the sky, and mix sap green with raw umber for the landscape.

techniques