Some Tips on Landscape Painting

TIPS ON LANDSCAPE PAINTING
If you paint outside below 30 degrees, the acrylic paint will not flow (plein air painting: painting outside).

For the landscape scene you wish to paint, here are some useful tips:
1. Photograph the scene
2. Do a sketch on the canvas to fill the space, blocking in simple lines, not many details, just major forms
3. Find the horizon line (where the sky or background meets the forground)
4. Common colors used: Thalo blue, ultra marine blue, red, cadmium yellow, phtalo green (of course you can use a variety of other greens, yellows, even purple and black and white)
5. mixing thalo blue and cadmium red will give you a rich grey
6. block in general colors
7. work from the background forward, so you can overlap foreground objects more crisply
8. bring out a brown tone (burnt sienna), to begin tree lines
9. continue to overlap colors (layering paint): multiple layering gives more depth
10. Start to add details: trees, rocks, houses, etc. Rocks do well with grays, burnt sienna, black, purple, white
11. If the painting has water, start to add reflection
12. Brighten foreground greens, adding blue and greens and yellows. You may want to add a touch of sienna
13. Emphasize details (texture highlights in trees, flowers, building structures)
14. If you have water reflection, add as many details as possible, blurring the image with a sweep of a large 1 inch brush
15. Keep referring to the photo- you will see more details than actually viewing the scene in person

Just remember, details in a painting are up to you- you do not have to paint every little detail that you see. Start simple and work your way up- and just keep painting, painting, painting. You will improve and learn to see more as you paint.

Refer to Web Site:
www.PaintingsbyLinda.net