Two Girls by a Jetty

Two figures sit on a stone jetty overlooking bright green water, their bodies angled toward each other in relaxed conversation. Light falls from the upper left, creating warm skin tones on the nearer figure (in the red jacket) while the farther figure (yellow shirt) sits slightly in shadow. The eye lands first on the red-jacketed figure's torso and legs—the brightest warm accent—then travels to her companion and finally out to the weathered stone wall and distant shore. The composition uses strong horizontal divisions: foreground jetty, middle-ground water with a moored boat, and a hazy distant landscape that establishes atmospheric depth.

The darkest darks are concentrated in the stone jetty wall (deep warm browns and grays), the moored boat, and the figure in yellow's hair and clothing. The brightest lights are the sky, the woman's white skirt, and her bare skin. The green water occupies a distinct mid-dark value zone. A squint reveals three clear value groups: dark architectural stone, mid-tone figures and fabric, and light sky—the figure in red acts as a crucial bridge between warm earth tones and the cool green below.

• #223d2a

  Viridian green + ultramarine blue + touch of burnt umber

  The water in the immediate foreground and middle distance; creates a cool, slightly murky depth

• #744831

  Burnt umber + cadmium red + ultramarine blue

  Shadows on the stone jetty wall, the moored boat, and warm darks in the distant shoreline

• #978e70

  Yellow ochre + white + touch of burnt umber

  Mid-tone stone of the jetty; the woman's blonde hair; warm reflected light on skin

• #aaae9c

  Titanium white + yellow ochre + ultramarine blue (very pale)

  The sky; the white skirt; highlights on the stone

• #7b694a

  Yellow ochre + burnt umber + white

  The distant shore and landscape; warm mid-ground that recedes

• #504534

  Burnt umber + ultramarine blue + cadmium red (darkened)

  The darkest passages in the jetty structure, the boat shadow, and the woman's hair in profile

Edges vary purposefully: the figures have softer, more blended edges (especially where skin meets air), while the stone jetty shows crisper, more defined strokes that follow the weathered texture. The water is handled with loose, directional strokes—visible horizontal marks that suggest movement—while the distant shore dissolves into softer, shorter strokes. The red jacket is painted with confident, blocky strokes that preserve form; the white skirt uses thinner, more fluid paint to suggest fabric drape.

1. 01

   Establish the value underpainting

   Using burnt umber and ultramarine blue thinned with linseed oil, block in the darkest masses: the jetty wall, boat shadow, and distant shoreline. Keep the shapes loose but anatomically aware—you're mapping the woman's seated pose, the jetty's perspective, and the water's horizontal plane. This warm-toned underpainting will unify the final colors.

2. 02

   Lay in the green water

   Mix viridian green with a touch of ultramarine and burnt umber. Apply it in the lower third of the composition with horizontal directional strokes, leaving the underpainting visible in places. The water should feel slightly opaque and cooler than the land; don't overblend. Notice how it's darker in the shadow of the jetty and slightly lighter where reflected light touches it.

3. 03

   Block in the sky and distant landscape

   Paint the upper portion with pale yellow ochre and white, grading slightly warmer toward the horizon. The distant shore is a warm, muted tan (yellow ochre + burnt umber + white). Keep these areas soft and atmospheric—use dry-brush or feathering so they don't compete with the foreground. The sky should feel like a receding plane, not a flat backdrop.

4. 04

   Establish the jetty's stone texture

   Using yellow ochre with burnt umber shadows and ultramarine accents, paint the weathered jetty surface with irregular, broken strokes that suggest age and wear. Vary your edge quality—crisp where stone meets water, softer where it merges with shadow. The texture should read as rough and pitted, not smooth. Leave some underpainting showing through to suggest depth in crevices.

5. 05

   Lay in the figures' basic anatomy and clothing

   Block in the woman in red with cadmium red (slightly muted with yellow ochre), and the woman in yellow with a warmer yellow ochre. Use the underpainting to guide muscle and bone structure. The white skirt is titanium white with subtle gray shadows (ultramarine + burnt umber). Keep these areas fairly opaque but not overworked; you're establishing form and value relationships, not detail.

6. 06

   Model the skin tones and define faces

   Mix flesh tones using yellow ochre, cadmium red, and white in varying proportions. The nearer figure (in red) catches more light and should be warmer and lighter; the figure in yellow sits slightly back and reads cooler. Work the shadows carefully—they're not simple darkening but shifts toward ultramarine and burnt umber. Define eyes, mouths, and hand positions with small, careful strokes. Notice how the nearer figure's face is more sharply rendered; the farther one is slightly softer.

7. 07

   Refine fabric and introduce final textures

   The red jacket benefits from visible directional strokes following the body's form; add deeper reds (cadmium red + burnt umber) in shadow areas. The white skirt needs softer, more fluid handling—use thinner paint and curved strokes to suggest fabric weight and folds. The yellow shirt should show warmth variation; add ochre shadows without losing the cheerful tone. Add the moored boat's dark silhouette with burnt umber and ultramarine, keeping it a simple, readable shape.

8. 08

   Integrate and soften

   Step back and assess value and temperature relationships. Soften overly hard edges where figures meet the jetty and sky (use a dry brush or soft blending). Add atmospheric perspective to the distant figures on the shore—they should be hazier and more muted. A final glaze of pale ochre over distant areas will push them back. The foreground figures should remain crisper and more saturated. Check that the green water reads convincingly; add a few quick white highlights to suggest reflected sky on the water's surface.

• Overworking the skin tones: Knight's handling is direct and painterly, not photorealistic. Resist blending flesh until it looks like plastic. Stop while the brushwork still reads as human-made.
• Making the distant shore too sharp or detailed. It must feel far away—keep it soft, muted, and simplified. The eye should rest on the two figures, not travel into the hazy background.
• Rendering the water as a flat, uniform color. The green has temperature and value shifts; it's darker where it's in shadow of the jetty, and the horizontal directional strokes are essential to making it read as a liquid plane.
• Losing the white skirt in the composition. It's one of the brightest, most saturated lights in the painting. If you muddyit with too much shadow or fail to keep it luminous, the figure loses its visual anchor and presence.

beginner friendliness

value contrast

palette complexity

compositional simplicity

brushwork visibility