plate no. 4415
Shadow on Frankfort Barren.jpg
Neil Welliver, 1982
some experience helpful
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in depicting light and shadow on snow, and understanding how to simplify complex natural forms into basic shapes. It's also a good exercise in color mixing to achieve subtle variations in white and gray.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
4
compositional simplicity
3
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Sketch the basic shapes of the hill and the larger rocks, paying attention to the overall composition.
- step 02
Block in the sky with light blue and gray tones, indicating the cloud formations.
- step 03
Apply a base layer of white mixed with a touch of blue or gray for the snow-covered areas.
- step 04
Establish the shadows on the snow using a mix of blues, purples, and grays.
- step 05
Paint the rocks with a dark gray-green mixture, adding highlights and shadows to give them form.
- step 06
Add the distant trees with dark green and brown tones.
- step 07
Refine the details of the rocks and shadows, paying attention to the direction of light.
- step 08
Add small details like patches of exposed ground to break up the monotony of the snow.
color palette
primary · titanium white · ultramarine blue · burnt umber
secondary · yellow ochre · viridian green · payne's gray
Mix white with small amounts of blue, umber, and yellow ochre to create the various shades of snow. Use ultramarine blue and burnt umber to create a range of grays for the rocks and shadows. Add a touch of viridian green to the rock color for natural variation.
techniques
- ·Blocking in
- ·Color mixing for subtle variations
- ·Layering
- ·Impasto
- ·Scumbling
common pitfalls
- →Making the snow too uniformly white.
- →Overcomplicating the shapes of the rocks.
- →Ignoring the subtle color variations in the shadows.
- →Losing the overall sense of light and atmosphere.
materials
surface · stretched canvas
required
- ·Stretched canvas (16x20 inches)
- ·Titanium white oil paint
- ·Ultramarine blue oil paint
- ·Burnt umber oil paint
- ·Palette
- ·Palette knife
- ·Assorted brushes (flat and round)
- ·Odorless mineral spirits
optional
- ·Yellow ochre oil paint
- ·Viridian green oil paint
- ·Payne's gray oil paint
- ·Painting medium (linseed oil or alkyd medium)
Use a good quality canvas primed for oil painting. Consider using a limited palette to simplify the color mixing process.
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