How to Paint Distance. How to Paint Skies and Grass in Landscapes

SKIES IN LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS

Tips on Painting Skies
by A Lundy
Here are a few painting tips on skies in a landscape painting.
When objects are in the far distance, they appear misty. The edges seem to merge and they tend to take on a tinge of a faded bluish color. Think of distant objects as being seen through a misty atmosphere. Similarly, the color of the sky is stronger overhead than it is far away and it, too, takes on a lighter appearance in the far distance, which is the horizon.

Follow the instructions below and practice painting a sky to better understand this concept - a way to get the effect of distance in a landscape painting.

SUPPLIES FOR THE FOLLOWING ART LESSON

8" x 10" canvas panel - Palette - Palette knife - Size 10 or 12 flat brush -
Paper towels
Acrylic tube paint - White - Cerulean Blue - Yellow Ochre - Cadmium Red Light
A spray bottle of water if paint on the palette starts to dry. - Small container for water

Use the palette knife, add a touch of water so the paint will move easily, and mix the following:

Mix 1 - White + Cerulean Blue -
Mix 2- White + Touch of Yellow Ochre - an offwhite color
Mix 3- Touch of Cadmium Red Light + White + Mix 1

With the #10 or #12 bristle brush, apply Mixture 1 with criss cross strokes across Continue for 2 inches. Wipe the brush to remove most of the paint and pick up some of mixture 2 with the dirty brush. Continue by brushing into the bottom inch of the painted area, blending the colors, for another inch, blending and fading toward the horizon.

For the mountains, lightly brush a few horizontal strokes of Mixture 3. Painting into the wet distant sky will soften the edges of the mountains and add to the appearance of distance.

Wash the brushes with soap and water before they begin to dry.
HAPPY PAINTING ! !

We disclaim any liability for unsatisfactory results
and are not responsible for variations in workmanship

TIPS FOR PAINTING GRASS IN A LANDSCAPE PAINTING

When learning how to paint grass in a landscape, your art supplies might include a fan brush and a liner brush. With these brushes, along with others, special effects can be achieved.

Perspective in grassy areas is achieved through color, direction of grass masses, and the size of the strokes. Color fades in the distance as it is being seen through the atmosphere. Only the top of grass can be seen and there is usually no indication of blades of grass.

In the middle area, various shades of grass colors are used and upward strokes with a soft brush can be applied. If the area of interest is in the middle ground with a grouping of buildings or other subject matter, care should be taken that the foreground detail does not take away from the color contrast used at the focal point of the painting.

Coming closer to the viewer, stronger colors should be used but applying any detail should not take the eye away from the main point of the picture. More detail of grass blades can be seen along edges such as roads. The videos below show how to use the fan brush for this.
A Lundy