8980 Old Western Town
Jerry Yarnell – Inspiration of Painting PBS Television Series

A dusty frontier street stretches through an old western town lined with weathered wooden buildings, rustic storefronts, and quiet boardwalks fading into the distance. In this intermediate acrylic painting lesson, Jerry guides you step-by-step through creating this dramatic western scene in a 135 minute session on an 18x24 canvas, capturing the mood and atmosphere of a historic frontier settlement.

You’ll learn how to build strong perspective using the road and rows of buildings to lead the viewer’s eye deep into the composition. Jerry demonstrates how to block in major shapes first, then refine architectural details with controlled brushwork to maintain balance and realism throughout the painting.

Special focus is given to painting aged wood textures, shadows, and atmospheric depth using layered color and subtle value changes. You’ll also explore how to create distance and mood through softened backgrounds and carefully controlled edges.

By the end of this lesson, you’ll gain confidence in painting western architecture, handling linear perspective, and creating depth through layering and atmosphere. This is an excellent project for painters ready to expand their skills while producing a rich and visually engaging western town scene.