Cityscape Oil Painting Tutorial - How to Build Drama and Light in Your Oil Paintings

Cityscape Oil Painting Tutorial - How to Build Drama and Light in Your Oil Paintings
Christine Lashley Artist

In today’s cityscape oil painting tutorial, Christine Lashley shows the complete process for building drama, light, mood, and atmosphere in an urban scene. If you’ve ever struggled with where to place your darks, how to keep your lights glowing, or how to make a city painting feel alive, this step-by-step oil painting lesson will guide you from the foundation to the final brushstrokes.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction
01:01 Demo Start
02:25 Underpainting
03:32 Color Blocks
05:45 Lights
08:45 Details
11:20 Figures
13:23 Conclusion

This demo focuses on a Paris cityscape painting, starting with small studies and transparent darks, then moving into expressive color, alla prima techniques, and loose, professional figure suggestions. Whether you’re a beginner learning how to paint with oils or an experienced painter looking to refine your design and value structure, this video breaks down a proven process you can use in any city or night scene.

CHRISTINE LASHLEY SHARES HOW SHE APPROACHES:
1. Transparent darks and connected shadow shapes
2. Building a strong design before adding detail
3. Using color temperature to create drama
4. Painting Parisian ambient light and extended twilight
5. Keeping city figures simple with “blob” and “jelly bean” techniques
6. Understanding when to follow the reference and when to ignore it
7. Creating a mosaic of color without over-blending
8. Adding final sparkle with selective light accents

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS OIL PAINTING TUTORIAL:
1. How to paint a dramatic cityscape oil painting
2. How to build light, atmosphere, and glow in your oil paintings
3. Alla prima oil painting techniques for beginners
4. How to paint city figures without overworking
5. Understanding connected darks and value design
6. How artists create mood in nighttime city scenes
7. How to develop a strong underpainting for city art

You’ll also see how she uses a small grayscale sketch, her on-location study from Paris, and her studio painting to explain her entire creative decision-making process. If you love cityscape art, urban impressions, and expressive, painterly techniques, this full tutorial will elevate your skills and deepen your understanding of oil painting fundamentals.

ABOUT CHRISTINE LASHLEY
Christine Lashley is an award-winning American artist renowned for her vibrant plein air oil paintings, which are inspired by nature. Trained at Washington University, the Sorbonne, and Parsons Paris, she blends light, color, and emotion to capture fleeting moments in the landscape. Her work has earned top honors at major plein air events, and she continues to inspire artists worldwide through her teaching and exhibitions.

Christine Lashley
An American Artist
Art Courses: https://www.lashleyartclass.com/

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