plate no. 1794

Tama River in Rain

Unichi Hiratsuka, 1929

oilSōsaku hangalandscaperiverboatsbuildingslandscapetreessky

suitable for beginners

Recreating this painting will help students practice simplifying complex scenes into basic shapes and using a limited color palette to create a cohesive image. It also provides practice in creating texture with simple mark-making.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 6 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes: horizon line, land masses, boats, and buildings.
step 02
Block in the sky with a very light, diluted wash of pale yellow or cream.
step 03
Paint the distant land and water with diluted blues and purples, focusing on horizontal strokes for the water.
step 04
Add the green area of the trees and the land on the left side using a mix of green and blue.
step 05
Paint the boat roofs with a diluted red.
step 06
Add the details of the boats and buildings with blue and grey, using straight lines.
step 07
Add the small red details on the foreground land.
step 08
Refine the details and add any final touches.

color palette

primary · light yellow · light blue · red

secondary · green · purple · grey

Mix light blues and purples by diluting the primary colors with white or water. The green is a muted, desaturated green, achieved by mixing blue and yellow with a touch of brown.

techniques

·flat wash
·dry brush
·layering
·color mixing

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details - keep the image simple and stylized.
→Using colors that are too saturated - aim for muted and diluted tones.
→Making the lines too perfect - embrace the slightly imperfect look of the original.
→Not diluting the paints enough - the colors should be translucent.