plate no. 5003

Windy Day, Bronx River

oil, canvasImpressionismlandscapelandscapebuildingstreessnowriversky

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in impressionistic brushwork and color mixing to create a sense of atmosphere and depth. It also provides practice in simplifying complex scenes into basic shapes and values.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 10 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the main shapes: the horizon line, the buildings, the trees, and the foreground hill.
step 02
Block in the sky with a light blue-grey wash, allowing for variations in tone.
step 03
Establish the basic shapes of the buildings with dark blues and greens, paying attention to their relative sizes and positions.
step 04
Paint the foreground hill with a mix of blues, purples, and whites, using short, broken brushstrokes to suggest snow and texture.
step 05
Add the bare trees with thin, vertical strokes, using browns and greys.
step 06
Introduce highlights on the buildings and snow using thicker applications of white and light blues.
step 07
Add small details like the birds in the sky and the suggestion of distant hills.
step 08
Refine the overall composition by adjusting values and adding subtle color variations.

color palette

primary · titanium white · ultramarine blue · viridian green

secondary · burnt umber · cadmium yellow · alizarin crimson

Achieve the snowy landscape by mixing white with small amounts of blue, purple, and green. Use burnt umber and ultramarine blue to create dark tones for the buildings and trees. Mix viridian green with white and yellow for the roof.

techniques