Tips for Landscape Painting

Creating a Pleasing Composition

When painting a landscape, you don’t need to paint everything exactly as it appears. It’s perfectly acceptable to use your imagination in order to create a more appealing scene. Feel free to remove bushes, trees, or other elements that distract from the painting’s overall composition. You can even rearrange the scene slightly.

As with any painting, a landscape should be a balance of both positive and negative space. The scene should not be cluttered with unnecessary details. Give the viewer’s eye some “breathing” room in order to create an image with a feeling of tranquility.

Generally, it’s best to give preference to the foreground when painting your landscape. Make the details in your painting’s foreground sharper and clearer than the objects in the background. Focusing on the details in this area of the painting creates an easily identifiable focal point.

If you have a favorite landscape, consider painting a series that showcases the beauty of this area under different conditions. A landscape can have a dramatically different look when the seasons change. In fact, even something as simple as a change in lighting can alter a landscape’s appearance enough to justify a new painting.

Painting on Location

One of the most enjoyable aspects of landscape painting is that it’s often possible to paint on location. However, it’s important to remember that the weather can be difficult to predict when painting outdoors. The light can change quickly and it may become windy or raining unexpectedly.

If you’re painting on location, try packing a digital camera with your brushes and paints. Taking a selection of digital photographs before you start your painting will give you a great reference point to use if you are unable to complete the scene in one session. If you don’t have easy access to a camera, or simply lack confidence in your photography skills, try creating a series of quick sketches instead.

Many experienced landscape painters also recommend using larger brushes when painting on location. This technique is one of the tips for landscape painting that can help you learn to quickly capture the overall essence of a scene. Once you have a strong framework for your painting, you can use an assortment of smaller brushes to add details such as the leaves on the trees or the beads of dew on the grass.

Mixing Colors

Mixing colors can be a challenging task for the landscape painter. At first glance, a landscape often appears to be a collection of greens and browns. However, there are many variations within these simple colors.

For example, everyone knows that yellow and blue make green. However, altering the proportions within your paint mixture can produce an astonishing variety of shades. For a muted green that resembles a soft khaki color, you can also try mixing a small amount of black with yellow paint. If you’re serious about landscape painting, take a day to practice mixing greens and create a color chart that will allow you to duplicate your results when necessary.

Of course, you may also choose to purchase assorted paints instead of mixing your own colors. Many novice painters find this to be a convenient alternative and you can always slightly alter the color of these “ready made” paints if necessary.

More Tips for Landscape Painting

If you’re interested in learning more about landscape painting, check out these helpful reference books:

• Painting Better Landscapes by Margaret Kessler
• Landscape Meditations by Elizabeth Mowry
• Painting Landscapes with Atmosphere: An Artist's Essential Guide by Ray Balkwill
• Painting the Impressionist Landscape: Lessons in Interpreting Light and Color by Lois Griffel
• Painting with Brenda Harris: Lovely Landscapes by Brenda Harris
• Painter's Quick Reference: Landscapes by North Light Books