plate no. 6794

Steel Foundry, Coatesville, Pa.

Ralston Crawford, 1937

oilPrecisionismcityscapebuildingskyfencetelephone polesindustrialclouds

suitable for beginners

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in geometric abstraction and understanding of value relationships to create depth and form. It also provides practice in creating clean, crisp lines and flat areas of color.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and composition, paying attention to the perspective of the building and the placement of the telephone poles.
step 02
Block in the large areas of color: sky, building, fences, and ground.
step 03
Refine the shapes of the clouds, adding subtle variations in tone.
step 04
Add details to the building, such as the windows and the dark stripe along the roof.
step 05
Paint the wooden fence, paying attention to the saw-tooth pattern.
step 06
Add the details of the metal fence above the wooden fence, including the bolts.
step 07
Paint the telephone poles, adding subtle highlights and shadows.
step 08
Add the telephone wires, ensuring they are thin and straight.

color palette

primary · ultramarine blue · titanium white · burnt umber · ivory black

secondary · raw sienna · payne's gray

Mix various shades of gray for the building and metal fence by combining black and white. Use burnt umber and raw sienna to achieve the brown color of the wooden fence. Add small amounts of blue to white for the sky.

techniques