Step-by-step painting guide

The French Alps

A step-by-step painting guide by Richard Robinson

Learn to paint the beautiful French Alps, step by step. Ah, the French Alps in Summer! Magnifique! The hills are alive with the sound of cowbells and all we’re missing is Heidi frolicking in the meadows. Follow me step by step as I show you the techniques I use to paint this beautiful alpine scene quickly and easily in acrylics. Painting a diffuse light effect, vast atmospheric depth, dynamic brushwork and inventing convincing rocks are all demonstrated in the video. Enjoy!

This guide accompanies the full video lesson. The lesson includes the complete narrated video, the printable PDF chapter, and personalised critique support.

See the full lesson
"The French Alps" 13 x 13" Acrylic on Canvas by Richard Robinson
"The French Alps" 13 x 13" Acrylic on Canvas by Richard Robinson

Step 10Painting Trees with Depth

What is the darkest tree color used in this painting technique?

The darkest tree color used in this painting technique is a dark grey-green. This serves as the base color from which lighter and bluer variations are created. For more details on this technique, you can visit the sales page at https://mypaintingclub.com/lessons/62-The-French-Alps.

Why is it important to use a crisp square brush for painting trees?

A crisp square brush is important because it allows you to create nice sharp little marks, which are essential for painting trees with interesting and irregular shapes. This helps in achieving dynamic edges rather than soft, less defined ones. You can learn more about brush techniques on the sales page at https://mypaintingclub.com/lessons/62-The-French-Alps.

Why should you use lots of paint when painting trees?

Using lots of paint is crucial because it ensures that the paint covers the canvas in one stroke, preventing the need for repeated dabbing. Repeated dabbing can soften the edges of the stroke, making them less dynamic. For further insights into this technique, visit the sales page at https://mypaintingclub.com/lessons/62-The-French-Alps.

How do the colors of the trees change as they go further back in the painting?

As the trees go further back in the painting, they get slightly lighter and bluer. This change in color helps to create a sense of depth and atmospheric perspective. More details on creating depth in your paintings can be found at https://mypaintingclub.com/lessons/62-The-French-Alps.

What happens to the color of the tree as it goes up into the sky?

As the tree goes up into the sky, the color gets lighter and bluer. This is because the shadow color for the tree becomes lighter and bluer, reflecting the infused light area of the sky. For more on this technique, check out the sales page at https://mypaintingclub.com/lessons/62-The-French-Alps.

Why is it important to avoid too many strokes when painting light into dark paint?

It's important to avoid too many strokes because the paint beneath is still wet, and excessive strokes can cause the colors to mix too much, turning them to mud. Using a few careful strokes helps maintain the desired color and texture. You can explore more about this technique at https://mypaintingclub.com/lessons/62-The-French-Alps.

How should the color green be adjusted for trees in the background?

For trees in the background, the color green should be adjusted by adding white and blue to make it lighter and bluer. This adjustment helps to create a sense of depth and distance in the painting. More about color adjustments can be found at https://mypaintingclub.com/lessons/62-The-French-Alps.

Summary & key takeaways

Reflecting on our journey through painting the French Alps, I aimed to capture the breathtaking scene that I encountered on my hike. The vastness of the landscape was challenging, yet rewarding, as we focused on the intricate details of the rocks and trees against the majestic backdrop of the mountains. By using acrylics, we embraced the quick-drying nature of the medium, allowing us to layer and build depth effectively.

Throughout this lesson, I encouraged you to see beyond the photograph, to interpret and express the scene with your own artistic flair. By grouping elements like trees and rocks into familial clusters, we created a harmonious composition that guides the viewer's eye through the painting. The sky, with its smooth gradation and subtle transitions, set the tone for the entire piece, while the mountains provided a solid foundation for our landscape.

I hope you take away the importance of working quickly with acrylics, using tools like stay wet palettes and retarders to manage drying times. Remember, the key to a successful painting lies in the details—suggesting rather than defining, and allowing the viewer's imagination to fill in the gaps. I look forward to seeing how you apply these techniques in your future works.

Points to remember
  • Start with the background and work forward to manage drying time.
  • Use a brush to sketch elements, not a pencil.
  • Imagine trees and rocks as a family group to organize your composition.
  • Create a smooth sky gradation to convey vastness.
  • Feel free to deviate from the photograph for creative expression.
  • Use a stay wet palette to keep acrylics workable longer.
  • Add depth with color shifts—darker and greener in the foreground, lighter and bluer in the distance.
  • Suggest details rather than painting them precisely.