Maxfield Parrish was an accomplished draughtsman and a great technical painter. He was a perfectionist, striving against becoming too technical and improving his spontaneity. Early in his career he used pencils, inks, crayons and lithographic pens on watercolor paper. It wasn't until later in his very successful career that he moved into oil painting, always preferring paper and water media.

In 1905 to 1909, Parrish worked on large-scale paintings. These works were done on canvas that he applied to panels, called canvassing panels. After preparing his support, he would lay out the composition in pencil. If figures were to be used, they were worked out on paper and then placed into the composition.

The first color he would use was ultramarine blue. After this layer dried, he gently used pumice to smooth the surface and then applied a coat of varnish, placing a layer between the first painting layer and the next layer. He repeated these steps through the entire execution of the painting, allowing the painting to dry in the sun, when possible. Some of his paintings have 60 or more layers in the final work. He did not use mixed colors, but instead, mixed the colors directly on the painting surface. His painting layers were built up with glazes mixed with varnish. This technique is closest in comparison to those used in four-color halftone printing over a white base.