Piazza San Giusto in Lucca, Italy

The sun was shining so bright when I saw the scene of this square in Lucca. It is a wonderful spot in Italy with old buildings and a very busy street market. I wanted to catch that feeling of deep shadows and bright white stalls under the blue sky. The square feels alive with people moving around and the tall Italian houses looking down on everything.

For the sky, I used a wash of Cerulean Blue and Cobalt Blue to keep it looking fresh and clear. The buildings have warm tones from Yellow Ochre and a bit of Burnt Sienna to show the old stone. I like how the light hits the front of the shops while the ground stays in the cool shade. It creates a nice contrast that makes the painting pop.

I kept the people very simple with just a few dark strokes of Ultramarine Blue and Neutral Tint. It is better not to draw every detail when you want to show movement. The white paper does a lot of the work for the market roofs. I only added a tiny bit of Lavender in the shadows to give them some shape without losing the brightness.

Painting scenes like this is all about the big shapes and the light. If you get the values right, the painting tells the story for you. I really enjoyed playing with the greens and reds on the shutters and the church front.