plate no. 3064

Untitled (Church in snow with rose sky)

Pierre Daura, 1939

oilPost-Impressionismcityscapechurchsnowbuildingsskycityscaperooftops

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in color mixing to achieve subtle variations and practice layering techniques to build up the forms of the buildings and sky.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes of the church and buildings, paying attention to perspective.
step 02
Block in the main colors of the sky, using broad strokes.
step 03
Establish the base colors for the church tower and surrounding buildings.
step 04
Add shadows and highlights to define the forms and create depth.
step 05
Paint the snow on the rooftops, varying the color to reflect the sky.
step 06
Refine the details of the architecture, such as windows and architectural details.
step 07
Add final touches to the sky, blending colors and creating a sense of atmosphere.
step 08
Review and adjust colors and values as needed to achieve a cohesive composition.

color palette

primary · titanium white · ultramarine blue · cadmium red light · yellow ochre

secondary · burnt sienna · raw umber · violet

Mix white with small amounts of blue and red for the sky. Use yellow ochre and burnt sienna for the church, adding white to lighten and blue to cool the tones. Mix violet with white for the snow shadows.

techniques