plate no. 8128

Village by the Sea

Maurice Prendergast, 1913

oil, panelPost-Impressionismgenre paintingfiguresvillageseabuildingsskytrees

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students practice broken color techniques and learn to simplify complex scenes into basic shapes and colors. It also provides experience in capturing the essence of a scene rather than precise details.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 10 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement of the figures and the horizon line.
step 02
Block in the large shapes of the sky, sea, and land with thin washes of color.
step 03
Establish the basic colors of the buildings and trees, using a limited palette.
step 04
Begin adding details to the figures, focusing on capturing their gestures and clothing.
step 05
Use broken color techniques to create texture and visual interest in the buildings and landscape.
step 06
Add highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.
step 07
Refine the details and adjust the colors as needed.
step 08
Add final touches and details to the figures and foreground.

color palette

primary · raw umber · ultramarine blue · titanium white · cadmium red

secondary · yellow ochre · viridian green · alizarin crimson

Mix greens by combining blue and yellow, and use white to create lighter tints of all colors. Browns and grays are achieved by mixing complementary colors.

techniques