How to Paint Landscapes

Landscape art is a genre which depicts a vast expanse of scenery in the form of valleys, forests, rivers, mountains and trees. The paints used may differ from person to person. The most commonly used paints are acrylics, oils and watercolors. The canvas used by various individuals depends on the comfort and fluidity of the person using the canvas. Canvas is a woven fabric made from linen or cotton. The use of a particular medium, whether acrylic or oil, also determines the type of canvas that needs to be used. Canvas is largely made up of "Mono", which is also known as single thread and "Penelope", known as double thread. The single thread is stretched less, vertically and horizontally; whereas, the "Penelope" or double thread consists of two threads extending in both directions.

Composition of Landscapes
One of the most important aspects of this art is the arrangement of shapes. The elements in a painting need to look authentic. In the composition stage, your primary focus has to be on the use of shadows and contrast. Portraying nature on a canvas doesn't mean you need to squeeze in everything you see. For instance, a scenic picture you see can be altered, while you transform your ideas onto the canvas. To make things simpler, composition is like fixing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. It's arranging shapes in a proper order.

Colors in Landscapes
A color wheel consists of primary and secondary colors; where the primary colors are yellow, blue and red, which cannot be formed by the mixing of other colors and the secondary colors such as green, orange and purple can be formed using primary colors. For people who are entering the field of landscape painting, acrylics and watercolors are recommended. With experience you can switch to oil paints. Green is a color commonly used in painting landscapes. Beginners can either experiment by mixing yellow and blue to get green. You can also mix a small amount of black with yellow to get a muddy green. Go ahead and experiment with different colors to get your desired shade.

Painting Trees
A popular subject of landscapes is trees. Painting trees is not just getting hold of a brush and starting away. Getting a tree to look realistic in a painting requires a fair deal of visualization. Identifying the shape of the tree, in terms of it being conical, spherical or irregular, is an aspect you shouldn't ignore. You also need to observe if the branches are pointing upwards or downwards, and the density of leaves on various branches, along with the width of the trunk. When you get down to coloring, uniformity of color may differ depending on the various trees involved in the subject. For detailed work in a painting, a thin brush should be used to achieve finer strokes.

Painting Sunsets
Once you have a rough idea of what you want on your canvas, use long strokes with a big brush to create an impression, shape it up with the gathering of clouds. Depending on the colors you use, give the painting a dampened effect, similar to that of a sunset. This effect allows you to spread the colors you need to incorporate into your painting. While using acrylics or watercolors, make sure that the water you use is clean. In case of oil paints, make sure that you use minute proportions of "Liquid White". Begin with adding light colors and then go on to make them darker. This order shouldn't be reversed as it could hamper the overall effect of the painting. In places where shades of blue are given prominence, avoid using orange or yellow, as the combination can form shades of green. Give tonal quality to your painting by working on the soft edges. Create a hazy effect by highlighting specific areas. Once you've painted the picture on canvas, add soft brush strokes to give it a finishing touch.

Methods of application used for other forms of landscapes keep changing from time to time, depending on the chosen subject. Blending colors on a canvas takes a lot of practice, patience and time. Quality of the canvas and colors used, make a huge difference to a painting. It's a commonly known fact that the more you experiment with colors, the more you learn. So pick up your brush and start painting!