plate no. 0184

The Nehaj Tower in Kaštel Štafilić

Alfred Freddy Krupa, 1997

watercolor, paperContemporary Realismmarinatowerseaskytreeslandscapebuilding

what to study here

It shows how a few soft-edged washes and one clear light direction can make a simple tower read as solid, with value doing the work of drawing.

Study how light direction organizes this watercolor. The tower's left face is a warm cream rather than bare white, while the right side drops into blue-gray shadow. That temperature shift, not outline, makes the tower read as solid. Edges stay soft throughout: shadow boundaries blend into the lit face instead of being drawn. Look at the water and sky next. Horizontal washes laid wet and allowed to settle give the calm, even surface. The water, with its darkest purple-blue in the lower left, has to sit well below the tower in value, and that gap is what lifts the tower forward. The foliage on the right is the one area with visible layered brushwork, suggesting leaves without detail. The warm ochre beach works as a shelf between viewer and water. Squint at it: light tower, dark water, mid-tone sky, with foliage as a small dark accent. Copy the value relationships before the colors.

key decision

The painter kept the tower's lit face warm and the water substantially darker than both tower and sky, so value separation and temperature, not hard contours, define the form.

recreation guide

Alfred Freddy Krupa’s 'The Nehaj Tower in Kaštel Štafilić' (1997) is a watercolor work executed in the style of Contemporary Realism, depicting a marina scene. While the specific visual details of the tower and harbor are not described in the provided sources, the recreation relies on the general principles of watercolor painting as defined in historical treatises. The work utilizes water as the liquid medium and gum-arabic as the agglutinative agent, adhering to a tradition that balances transparencies with reserved paper for lights (Source 1). The composition likely employs standard landscape and seascape conventions, organizing visual elements such as line, shape, and value to create a sense of space and form (Source 3, Source 5).

estimated time

10-15 hours over 3-4 sessions

materials

4 items

steps

4 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Watercolor paper	Support for the painting; must be properly sized to prevent irregular absorption and staining.	High-quality cotton or linen rag watercolor paper, acid-free.
Watercolor paints	Primary medium for creating washes, transparencies, and opacities.	Professional grade watercolors bound with gum arabic.
Brushes	Application of washes and details; long brushes for continuous lines, short for corners.	Hake brushes for washes, round brushes for detail.
Water	Liquid medium to dilute pigments and create washes.	Clean, pure water.

preparation

surface prep

The paper should be dry and free from dampness, as dampness causes sizing to ferment and decompose, leading to stains (Source 1). The sizing should be evenly distributed within the paste rather than applied only to the surface, ensuring the paper does not become irregularly spongy during prolonged work (Source 1). Ideally, the paper is made from linen rags and bleached by air and sunshine, though modern equivalents should be acid-free and properly sized (Source 1).

underdrawing

While specific preparatory methods for Krupa are not detailed in the sources, general practice suggests using a light pencil or charcoal sketch to establish the composition. For line work, one might employ techniques similar to Japanese brush practice, holding the brush perpendicular to move freely in all directions, drawing slowly to guide the line with force of will rather than mere momentum (Source 4).

underpainting

In watercolor, the 'underpainting' is often the first layer of washes. The technique involves applying transparent washes where the paper is reserved for lights (Source 1). This aligns with the general definition of watercolor as a wash in colors, distinct from opaque body colors (Source 1).

color palette

Neutral tints

Diluted earth tones or mixed complements

General washes and shadows, consistent with historical use of neutral tints for sketches (Source 1).

Transparent hues

Standard watercolor pigments

Creating transparencies and atmospheric effects in the marina scene.

Reserved White

None (paper surface)

Highlights and lights, as the paper is reserved for these areas in traditional watercolor technique (Source 1).

composition

The composition likely organizes visual elements such as line, shape, color, texture, value, form, and space to create a coherent seascape (Source 3, Source 5). The artist may use lines to guide the eye through the piece, and shapes to define the tower and water (Source 3). As a seascape, it depicts the ocean or beach environment, potentially incorporating atmospheric conditions (Source 5). The arrangement of elements should relate to the whole artwork, creating a visual order (Source 3).

step by step

underdrawing→first pass→refining→finishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the basic forms of the Nehaj Tower and marina elements lightly on dry, properly sized paper.
Tip — Focus on the mass and volume of the subject rather than minor details (Source 7).
Contour drawing

first pass

step 02
Apply initial transparent washes to establish the general values and colors of the sky and water.
Tip — Reserve the paper for lights; do not paint over areas intended to be bright (Source 1).
Wash technique

refining

step 03
Build up layers of color, allowing each wash to dry completely before applying the next to maintain clarity.
Tip — Ensure the paper remains dry between layers to prevent staining and irregular absorption (Source 1).
Layering

finishing

step 04
Add details and darker values to define forms and create depth.
Tip — Use short brushes for sharp corners and broken lines if needed (Source 4).
Detailing

critical techniques

Reserving lights

Leaving the paper bare in areas where light is strongest, as watercolor is primarily a transparent medium (Source 1).

Wash application

Applying diluted pigment to create transparent layers, avoiding overworking the paper to prevent staining (Source 1).

Line control

Using deliberate, slow movements to create expressive lines, potentially inspired by Japanese brush practices (Source 4).

common pitfalls

→Using paper that has suffered from dampness, which causes sizing to ferment and leads to stains (Source 1).
→Overworking the surface, which can wear out the sizing and reveal an irregularly spongy interior (Source 1).
→Attempting to create opaque effects without understanding the limitations of transparent washes, unless using body colors (Source 1).
→Ignoring the importance of proper sizing distribution in the paper, leading to uneven absorption (Source 1).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·Specific visual details of the Nehaj Tower and marina scene are not described in the sources.
·Alfred Freddy Krupa's specific palette and brushwork habits are not detailed in the provided passages.
·The exact compositional layout of this specific painting is not analyzed in the sources.
·Information on varnishing or final preservation specific to this artwork is not provided.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Science of Painting↗
- CHAPTER XIII. WATER COLOURS — applied to Materials, paper preparation, wash techniques, and reserving lights.
Composition — LINE DRAWING↗
- II.—JAPANESE MATERIALS AND BRUSH PRACTICE — applied to Line drawing techniques and brush handling.

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia: Composition (visual arts)↗
- Composition (visual arts) — part 1 — applied to General compositional principles and elements of design.
Wikipedia: Landscape painting↗
- Landscape painting — part 13 — applied to Classification of the artwork as a seascape.
Wikipedia: Contour drawing↗
- Contour drawing — part 1 — applied to Underdrawing approach focusing on mass and volume.

Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.

read from the painting

observed from the image, not the label

6 dominant colors, measured

what the eye sees

A tower stands as the focal point, its left-facing surface illuminated in cream and pale pink, while the right side recedes into deep blue-gray shadow. Strong directional light from the left defines the entire composition. The eye enters at the tower's lit face, then travels across the dark foliage mass on the right and down to the water dominating the lower half. The foreground beach rises with warm ochre tones, creating a visual shelf between viewer and water. The sky reads pale and distant, establishing atmospheric depth.

value structure

The painting uses a five-value structure: the cream-lit tower face is the lightest mass, the sky and beach are mid-light, the tower's shadow side and water are mid-dark, and the deep blue-purple water (lower left) is the darkest anchor. Squint and you see three distinct shapes—light tower, dark water, and mid-tone sky—with the foliage reading as a smaller dark accent. The value separation between the lit tower and surrounding water is crucial for the tower's dimensional pop.

observed palette and mixes

#eddfd6
Titanium white + burnt sienna + touch of ultramarine
Illuminated left face of the tower
#908788
Ultramarine blue + alizarin crimson + touch of raw sienna
Shadow side of tower and architectural recesses
#6e7f8c
Ultramarine blue + grey (or cerulean + raw sienna)
Upper water and shadow transitions
#5f5d5d
Ultramarine + alizarin crimson + raw sienna
Deep water in lower left and foliage shadows
#a1a2a4
Pale sky mix: ultramarine + touch of alizarin, heavily diluted
Sky and atmospheric areas
#babdbb
Raw sienna + yellow ochre + white
Beach and foreground sandy tones

edges and brushwork

Edges are deliberately soft and diffused throughout—no hard contours define the tower or water. Horizontal washes dominate the water and sky, laid wet and allowed to settle, creating the painting's calm, luminous quality. The foliage on the right shows more visible brushwork with layered greens applied with varied pressure, suggesting texture without detail. Shadow boundaries on the tower blend rather than define, reinforcing the watercolor's atmospheric character.

a working sequence

01
Sky and upper atmosphere wash
Wet the entire upper third with clean water. Drop pale blue-gray (ultramarine heavily diluted with alizarin) and let it settle, keeping it lighter at the very top. Leave it soft and luminous—this is your light source reflected.
02
Water foundation—layered blues and purples
Wet the lower two-thirds. Start with a mid-blue in the middle area, then drop deeper ultramarine + alizarin (cooler purples) into the lower left corner. Work horizontally, letting the values shift from lighter near the shore to darker depth. The water must read significantly darker than the sky to push it back.
03
Beach and foreground shore
While the water is still damp, drop warm ochre and raw sienna along the shoreline and let it blend slightly upward into the water. Keep this area warm and sandy, allowing soft edges where it meets the water. Define the curved rocky shore in the lower left with a darker shadow (blue + sienna mix).
04
Tower mass and light direction
Establish the tower's lit left face with a dilute cream (white + burnt sienna + touch of ultramarine). Paint the entire front face, preserving the white paper only for the brightest highlights. The form should feel solid but soft-edged. Leave the right edge undefined—it will be defined by shadow.
05
Tower shadows and form modeling
Paint the right side and top of the tower with a cooler blue-gray shadow (ultramarine + raw sienna or cerulean). Indicate the dark arrow slits and recessed defensive windows on the lit face with darker shadow notes. The shadow side should wrap around convincingly, showing the tower's three-dimensionality. Keep edges soft where tower meets sky.
06
Dark foliage and architectural backdrop
Render the dense foliage mass to the right of the tower in layered olive-greens (ultramarine + yellow ochre, varying the ratio). Don't aim for botanical accuracy—suggest leafy depth with value variation. Add darker green-blues for shadow passages within the foliage. Keep the right edge loose; this is atmosphere, not detail.
07
Deepen water shadows and establish spatial layers
Strengthen the darkest values in the lower-left water with concentrated ultramarine + alizarin. This deepens the composition's spatial recession. Add a hint of darker water shadow directly beneath the tower to anchor it. The water should now clearly recede behind both tower and shore.
08
Final refinements and atmospheric glazes
Step back. Soften any hard edges that emerged by lightly rewetting and lifting. Add a pale warm glaze over sunlit parts of the sky if it feels too cool. Ensure the tower reads as a solid, sun-struck form by checking that its shadow side is consistently darker than the lit face. A final touch of darker detail in the tower's openings and where it meets the rocky base anchors the whole structure.

where studies of this painting go wrong

Over-whitening the tower: the lit face needs warm undertones (burnt sienna, not pure white) to feel sun-warmed and three-dimensional.
Hardening edges around the tower and foliage: watercolor's soft diffusion is essential here; fighting it with re-wetting and blending will kill the painting's luminosity.
Misjudging water value: if the water isn't significantly darker than both the tower and sky, the composition collapses and the tower loses its dimensional pop.
Losing directional light: ensure all shadows (tower's right side, foliage's underside, water's edge at the tower's base) consistently fall to the right, reinforcing the left-to-right light direction.

measured difficulty