plate no. 6085

Sand Springs Butte

Childe Hassam, 1904

oilImpressionismlandscapemountainfieldskycloudslandscape

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in impressionistic brushwork and color mixing to create atmospheric perspective. It also provides practice in simplifying complex textures like fields of flowers.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the mountain, field, and sky.
step 02
Block in the sky with broad strokes of light blue and white, creating cloud formations.
step 03
Establish the base colors of the mountain using browns, oranges, and grays.
step 04
Apply thicker, more textured brushstrokes to the mountain to suggest rock formations and shadows.
step 05
Block in the field with a base of green and yellow, varying the tones.
step 06
Add dabs of yellow, orange, and brown to represent the flowers, creating a textured surface.
step 07
Refine the details of the mountain and field, paying attention to color variations and light.
step 08
Add final touches to the sky, blending and softening edges as needed.

color palette

primary · titanium white · yellow ochre · burnt sienna · cerulean blue

secondary · ultramarine blue · raw umber · cadmium yellow light

Mix various shades of blue and white for the sky, adding touches of gray for cloud shadows. Achieve the mountain colors by mixing browns, oranges, and grays, and the field colors by blending greens, yellows, and browns.

techniques