The Red Roofs of Haarlem, aka A Street in Holland

Light streams from above, washing the canvas in warm, diffused noon light that creates a pale cream-yellow sky dominating the upper half. The street recedes into this bright distance, flanked by red-roofed buildings that step back in atmospheric perspective. Bright red flowers on the left building and scattered figures in the street draw the eye down the composition, while shadows pool dark in doorways and windows, grounding the warmth above.

The painting hinges on a compressed value range of lights and mid-lights: the pale cream sky is nearly the lightest note, the warm tan street is mid-light, and the building facades are warm mid-tones. Darkest darks appear only in shadows and window openings—deep reddish-browns that read as shadow rather than true black. When you squint, you see three clear value layers: sky (lightest), buildings and street (middle band), and shadows (darkest accents).

• #f1d7a2

  Titanium white + raw sienna, warmed with touch of cadmium red

  The pale sky, particularly the bright central opening above the street

• #c99c6b

  Titanium white + burnt sienna + raw umber

  Street surface and lighter building facades catching direct light

• #bf8c5d

  Burnt sienna + raw sienna + white

  Mid-tone building walls and roofs, primary warm mass

• #ac6740

  Cadmium red + burnt sienna + touch of raw umber

  The red tile roofs, particularly the pitched roofs against sky

• #895639

  Burnt sienna + raw umber + alizarin

  Shaded sides of buildings and warm shadow areas

• #612d21

  Raw umber + alizarin + touch of ultramarine blue

  Deepest shadows in windows, doorways, and shadow recesses

Edges are consistently soft and broken throughout—the rooflines blur into sky, building planes read as soft transitions rather than hard lines, and shadows blend into walls. Brushstrokes remain visible and decisive, particularly across the street and sky where the paint is dragged or dabbed in loose gestures. The handling resists detail work entirely, instead relying on value and color placement to suggest form.

1. 01

   Tone the canvas and block sky

   Establish a warm neutral underwash across the entire canvas using burnt sienna and raw umber. Then lay in the sky with a pale mixture of titanium white + raw sienna + touch of cadmium red, keeping it luminous and high-keyed. Leave the horizon soft—don't render a hard line where sky meets buildings.

2. 02

   Block primary building masses

   Using a warm burnt sienna + raw umber mix, roughly indicate both building complexes as large geometric shapes stepping back into space. Keep edges soft and focus on the proportions of how the buildings frame the street. Don't worry about individual windows yet—just establish the warm value that dominates the composition.

3. 03

   Establish street and perspective

   Paint the street surface with a light warm tan (white + raw sienna + touch of burnt sienna). Make it recede convincingly by keeping it narrower in the distance and slightly warmer in tone as it retreats. This step locks in the perspective cage that everything else sits within.

4. 04

   Define roofs and major planes

   Introduce the warm red roofs using cadmium red + burnt sienna, laying them in with confident strokes. The pitched roofs on the left and the more distant roof angles on the right should feel warm and luminous but not jarring—they should sit comfortably within the overall warm harmony. Define the main shadow side of buildings with a darker burnt sienna + raw umber mix.

5. 05

   Place flowers, figures, and dark accents

   Add the bright red potted flowers on the left building with pure cadmium red—they provide the most saturated color note and draw the eye immediately. Sketch in small figures on the street (they're quite small and impressionistic). Drop in the deepest darks in window openings and doorways using raw umber + alizarin, which reads as shadow rather than pure black.

6. 06

   Add vegetation and soften transitions

   Block in the muted dark green foliage on the right building's corner—it should feel darker and cooler than the warm buildings but still harmonize. Soften transitions between values by blending where buildings meet sky and where shadows meet lit surfaces. The goal is visual unity through warmth, not clarity of edge.

7. 07

   Refine values and atmosphere

   Adjust building values so they recede convincingly—objects further back should lose saturation and definition slightly. Add accent strokes in the street and sky to suggest light and movement. The painting should read as suffused in warm, diffuse afternoon light rather than sharply rendered.

8. 08

   Final check and integration

   Step back and assess whether the values read clearly when you squint. The sky should feel like the brightest area, the street like mid-light, buildings like warm mid-tones, and shadows like distinct but warm darks. Make any final adjustments to edges and ensure no element breaks the overall warm color harmony. Resist the urge to add detail—let loose brushwork and color placement carry the entire effect.

• Making the red roofs too saturated or too isolated in value—they must feel like a natural warm accent within the painting's harmony, not a jarring poster color
• Over-rendering architectural detail in the buildings—the entire power depends on suggestion and atmospheric vagueness, not clarity
• Allowing the sky to become too yellow or warm—it should be pale and luminous, almost creamy, to read as the light source flooding the scene
• Pushing value contrast too far—the painting's impact comes from its compressed, harmonious value range, not high drama

beginner friendliness

value contrast

palette complexity

compositional simplicity

brushwork visibility