How to Paint
On the Boat by Claude Monet
Difficulty: 4.5/5
Colours: Titanium white, ultramarine, yellow ochre, brilliant red, mars black
Brushes: Flat brush, detail round brush
Oh, Monet – he is truly the master of colour. I’ve given this painting a higher difficulty not because of the drawing aspect (getting shapes, proportions right), but because of the understanding of colour theory required. Also, personally, Monet has challenged me the most, so I’m biased!
With that said, it was a lot of fun figuring out all the colours. I started off with another rough tonal study, just like the Degas piece, using a few tints and shades of ultramarine.
Building depth in the water took many layers of paint (I could have added more, if I had time!) – but don’t let the blue overwhelm! I’d say it was about a 80:20 ratio of cool blues to warm hints of brown/sandy colours to keep the piece looking balanced.
Keen to try this out? Early bird tickets still available: https://classepetit.weteachme.com/classes/1026886-saturday-social-painting-claude-monet-21-july
