The departure of the volunteers (preparatory sketch)

Light enters from the upper left, casting warm illumination across the white church facade and the gathered crowd below, while the mountainous background recedes into cool shadow. The composition is anchored by the monumental white building on the right, which rises above a mass of figures—perhaps 40–50 people in various states of motion and stillness—clustered in the foreground and middle ground. Your eye is drawn first to the two dark-coated figures (likely officials or clergy) who stand elevated on steps, then pulled downward and leftward through the crowd toward the flags and military elements, which provide both color accent and narrative direction. The green grass median and wooden railing divide the composition, creating a clear spatial division between the gathering on the left and the more orderly, seated group on the right.

The darkest darks are concentrated in the shadowed mountainside (far left and background) and in the clothing of the crowd's central mass—deep browns and blacks that recede. The brightest lights are the illuminated white church wall and the pale sky above it. A middle value band of warm tan and ochre runs through the buildings, earth, and sunlit clothing. Squint: you'll see three clear tonal zones—dark background mountains, bright church structure, and a warm mid-tone band where the crowd and foreground activity sit. The green grass reads as a distinct mid-dark value that anchors the lower third.

• #593d2d

  Burnt Umber + French Ultramarine, warmed with Raw Sienna

  Deep shadows in mountain background, darkest folds of clothing in the crowd, interior shadows of the church windows

• #322220

  Ivory Black + Burnt Sienna, barely warm

  The hats, coats, and silhouettes of the two central officials; darkest accents throughout the crowd

• #6d543c

  Raw Sienna + Burnt Umber + white (cool lean mix)

  Earth and dirt in foreground, mid-tone shadows on the white building, warm mid-ground tones

• #816141

  Yellow Ochre + Burnt Sienna + touch of Alizarin

  Sunlit earth, warm clothing highlights, the tan underpainting showing through lighter figures

• #c0ae95

  Titanium White + Yellow Ochre + touch of Raw Sienna, high-key

  The brilliant illuminated church facade, white sky, highlights on pale clothing, the brightest architectural planes

• #977e63

  Yellow Ochre + Burnt Sienna + White (mid-warm)

  Weathered wood of railings and architectural details, mid-tone clothing, aged stone textures

Edges are softer and more atmospheric in the distant mountains and sky, where they blur and lose definition. In the foreground crowd, edges remain sharper around individual figures and clothing folds, but faces are suggested rather than detailed—quick, loose brushwork builds the impression of heads and hands without rendering every feature. The white church wall is handled with broad, dry-brush strokes that suggest weathering and age, with architectural details indicated by shadow lines rather than linear precision. Drapery and clothing show directional, confident strokes that follow the form.

1. 01

   Establish the composition in thin ochre wash

   Lay in a warm, dilute underpainting using Yellow Ochre + touch of Burnt Sienna across the entire canvas. Block in the horizon line (roughly in the upper third, where the mountain meets sky), the large white church building on the right, and the simple rectangular mass of the crowd in the lower half. Use a thin wash—this is mapping only, not modeling. Reference the white building's left edge and the grass median's horizontal line.

2. 02

   Block in the sky and distant mountains

   Paint the sky a pale lavender-gray (Titanium White + touch of Ultramarine + Alizarin). The mountains behind recede into cooler, darker tones—apply a soft mix of Ultramarine + Burnt Sienna + White, keeping edges soft. Notice the mountains rise above the church roof line and fade toward the left in deeper shadow. Keep this atmospheric and loose; avoid sharp mountain edges.

3. 03

   Establish the white church and its shadow planes

   Paint the illuminated church wall in pale (Titanium White + Yellow Ochre + pinch of Raw Sienna), noting that the right-facing wall catches strong light while the recessed doorway and shadowed areas receive cooler, darker tones. Leave the upper portico structure in shadow (Raw Sienna + Ultramarine). The windows are dark holes—resist filling them in with detail. Keep the brushwork broad and dry-brushed to suggest age and weathering.

4. 04

   Paint the grass median and establish ground plane

   The grassy area in the lower center-right is a warm olive-green (Raw Sienna + Ultramarine + touch of Cadmium Yellow, desaturated). It sits in middle value and divides the composition. Paint the wooden railing in warm grays and ochres—keep it sketchy but suggest the linear perspective of the planks receding. The earth at left and center is warmer and more ochred; let it sit darker than the grass to show shadow and worn ground.

5. 05

   Rough in the crowd masses with value and warm color

   Using warm, muted tones (Burnt Sienna + Ochre + White in various proportions), block in the gathered figures as a cohesive mass. Don't paint individual people yet; think of this as layering clusters and shapes. The left side of the crowd, near the building's left edge, is more densely packed and darker. Notice the flags on the left—suggest them with quick vertical strokes in deep red and neutral tones. Keep the two standing figures (center-right on the steps) as darker silhouettes for now.

6. 06

   Develop the crowd with selective detail and variation

   Now begin suggesting individual figures within the crowd mass using darker clothing (Burnt Umber + Ultramarine for shadowed coats, warmer ochres for lit garments). Paint around some figures to lift them forward; let others merge into the background. Heads are suggested with small touches of pale skin tone (Ochre + White + hint of Alizarin) against dark hats. Add patches of red, yellow, and white clothing to create visual rhythm and narrative interest. Keep faces implied, not illustrated.

7. 07

   Refine the two central dark-coated figures

   These standing officials deserve sharper definition. Paint their coats in deep, warm-black (Burnt Sienna + Ultramarine), with lighter trousers or stockings providing contrast. Their silhouettes should read clearly against the pale grass and grass median behind them. Suggest hats with a firm dark edge. A pale hand or gesture adds life—a quick dab of skin tone. They anchor the emotional and compositional center.

8. 08

   Add atmospheric and weather details

   Soften edges where figures recede into shadow, especially at the left and back of the crowd. Add small warm accents—a woman's pale head covering on the right, the reddish flag poles, touches of bright clothing. Refine the wooden railing with a mix of Ochre + Ultramarine, keeping it weathered and neutral. Add any final shadow accents to the church's recessed entrance. Step back frequently: the painting should read as a unified whole—a moment of departure—not a collection of separate portraits.

• Avoid overpainting individual faces and hands—this is a crowd scene, not portraiture. Suggestion and economy of detail are far more effective and maintain the narrative distance Induno establishes.
• The white building can look flat if you don't respect its shadow planes and weathered surface. The left side and recessed areas must be clearly darker to show form; don't keep everything equally bright.
• Don't let the crowd become a disconnected jumble. Establish clear overlaps of figures, group them in warm and cool clusters, and let some figures merge into shadow so the eye can navigate the composition.
• The green grass median is easy to make too vivid or too saturated. Keep it muted and warm-leaning so it reads as a atmospheric foreground element, not a neon accent. Its function is to divide and rest the eye, not to shout.

beginner friendliness

value contrast

palette complexity

compositional simplicity

brushwork visibility