8870 Church in Moonlight
Jerry Yarnell – Inspiration of Painting PBS Television Series

A quiet country church glows warmly under a full moon, surrounded by fresh snow and a gently curving path that leads the viewer into the peaceful nighttime scene. In this beginner level acrylic painting lesson, Jerry guides you step-by-step through creating this serene winter setting in a 65 minute session on an 18x24 canvas, capturing the contrast between cool moonlight and warm interior light.

You’ll learn how to construct and paint the church with proper perspective, including stone textures, roof structure, and glowing windows that bring life to the scene. Jerry demonstrates how to block in major shapes first, then refine them with controlled brushwork to maintain clarity and balance.

Special focus is given to painting nighttime effects, including moonlight, shadows on snow, and subtle value shifts that create depth in low-light conditions. You’ll also explore how to paint soft sky transitions and the glow around the moon using gentle blending techniques.

By the end of this lesson, you’ll gain confidence in painting night scenes, handling light contrast, and creating atmosphere with limited color ranges. This is an excellent project for beginners looking to expand their skills while producing a calm and visually striking winter night composition.