Monet Painting: A Step-by-Step Demonstration of Painting Monet's Bridge

I feel as though I'm really getting somewhere, but it’s not quite there yet. My job now is to do my final layers. I start with the background trees and foliage. I define one tree with a bit more with the Winsor blue and yellow; the other with white and permanent green light. I use a dabbing effect with my brush, I don't want them to look too realistic.

I move the bridge a bit higher; I know I'll have to go over it again once everything else is in place, so I do it lightly. I define the willow a bit, with green and white for highlights. It’s not doing what I would like it, so I go over it until I think I have it. It's not as good as I would like, but I'll leave it alone before I really ruin it.

Next is the pond, which I go over with a white glaze and a touch of cerulean blue. I want it to be bright as if the sun were shining down on it. Oops, almost forgot the reflections in the water; I pull down the greenery from the tree and grasses into the water, then continue glazing.

I now put in grasses in the front using sap green, permanent light green, white, and burnt umber. I use sap green for the lily pads, then cadmium red mixed with white for the lily. I add highlights to the trees and pond.

There may be a bit more I could do, but I'm going to leave it. I like the way it looks now and if I keep on there's a chance I'll lose the look I tried so hard to achieve. A bit of reference photo, a bit of Monet’s original, mixed with my interpretation of the two, and I am finished.

About the Artist Karen Day-Vath (see website) is a self-taught artist who works in acrylics and oils. She's also a long-standing member of the About.com Painting Forum.