plate no. 4389

Winterscene from Vignaes

oil, canvasAcademicismlandscapesnowtreeslandscapewinterbuildingssky

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement of the trees, buildings, and the path.
step 02
Block in the sky with light blues and pinks, blending softly.
step 03
Establish the distant landscape with muted blues and grays to create atmospheric perspective.
step 04
Lay in the basic shapes of the snow-covered areas, using a mix of white, blue, and gray.
step 05
Add the details of the buildings, using reds and browns.
step 06
Paint the trees, focusing on the birch trees with their distinctive bark.
step 07
Refine the snow details, adding shadows and highlights to create depth and texture.
step 08
Add the tracks in the snow and the figure in the distance.

color palette

primary · titanium white · ultramarine blue · burnt umber

secondary · cadmium red · yellow ochre · raw sienna

Mix white with small amounts of blue and umber for the snow. Use red and umber for the buildings. Create grays by mixing complementary colors.

techniques

common pitfalls

→Overmixing colors, resulting in muddy tones.
→Not creating enough contrast in the snow, making it appear flat.
→Ignoring atmospheric perspective, making the distant landscape appear too sharp.
→Getting the proportions of the trees wrong.