In this chapter, we'll explore the serene beauty of a summer landscape featuring graceful willow trees and a shimmering river under the bright sun. The scene is set with a simple yet effective composition, utilizing an S-shaped curve that guides the eye through the painting, suggesting rhythm and flow. This approach often results in the most compelling landscapes, as it avoids unnecessary complexity. The willow trees stand as a focal point, embodying the essence of summer with their lush foliage. The distant mountains, rendered in lighter tonal values, add an element of grandeur and atmospheric depth, enhancing the illusion of height. Throughout this lesson, I'll guide you in mixing vibrant greens and capturing the play of sunlight on water, all while infusing art theory into our practice. By the end, you'll not only recreate this tranquil scene but also gain techniques applicable to your own artistic endeavors. Whether you choose oil or acrylic paints, this project promises to be both rewarding and enlightening, offering a perfect blend of challenge and enjoyment for your painting journey.
This guide accompanies the full video lesson. The lesson includes the complete narrated video, the printable PDF chapter, and personalised critique support.
Load your brush with a thick mix of titanium white, cadmium yellow, phthalo green, and a touch of cadmium red. Ensure the bristles are well charged with paint to effectively suggest leaves and foliage.
Paint Leaf Details
Use dabs and dots to suggest leaves, focusing on the tree's canopy. This technique adds texture and communicates the presence of leaves without needing intricate detail.
Add Branch and Stem Suggestions
Mix yellow ochre with ultramarine blue for a shadow color. Use a number zero synthetic round brush to paint fine marks, suggesting a network of branches and stems silhouetted in the shadow.
Enhance Tree Canopy
Paint clumps of leaves in reflected light to bulk out the tree's canopy. Use ivory dagger brushes for this task, applying lighter layers of paint to create a rounded, three-dimensional shape.
Feather and Detail the Canopy
Feather the ends of the tree canopies with a quarter-inch dagger brush, suggesting branches poking up over the tops. Use lighter values from your mix to add detail and depth, creating a more scraggly and natural appearance.
Pro tipUse thicker layers of paint and a well-charged brush to effectively suggest leaves and foliage without intricate detail.
Embark on your painting journey by preparing a stable canvas and selecting your preferred medium. Whether you choose oil or acrylic, ensure your surface is ready for the vibrant colors of a summer landscape. Begin by sketching your composition with a burnt sienna base, setting the stage for a harmonious palette that will bring your scene to life.
As you progress, focus on establishing values and shadows, using ultramarine blue to unify the elements of your painting. Build depth by varying the value scale between foreground and background, and mix colors thoughtfully to achieve natural tones. The key is to maintain color harmony across different zones, ensuring a cohesive and visually appealing result.
In the final stages, refine your painting by blending colors smoothly and adjusting values to enhance depth and contrast. Gradually build up lighter layers to add dimension, and restate shadows to bring out the three-dimensional form of your landscape. Remember to save the lightest highlights for the end, allowing your painting to truly come alive with the brilliance of summer sunlight.
Points to remember
Use a manageable canvas size of around 12x12 inches.
Employ a limited palette to maintain color harmony.
Identify and paint dark values first to establish depth.
Use ultramarine blue consistently for cohesion.
Apply the full value scale in the foreground for contrast.
Mix shadow colors with less titanium white for depth.
