Vincent van Gogh used preparatory sketches to help plan his paintings. For his painting Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Van Gogh sketched the scene during the day and used the sketch to make choices about the painting, which he completed at night. In the drawing, he uses line to capture specific details, but he simplifies the painting by removing some of these details. In both the preparatory sketch and the finished painting, Van Gogh uses lines to create patterns. In the painting, he uses color to capture the varied qualities of light in the nighttime scene.