HANDY TECHNIQUES FOR BEGINNERS
PAINTING LANDSCAPES
(Life Member Sunbury Art Society Inc.)
Some useful reminders to keep in mind for the novice.
Below are just some of my own ideas I wish to share with those of you starting out for the first time in painting the traditional landscape.
I must stress however guidelines are just that and will not apply in every situation depending on the nature of the type of work you undertake.
PERSPECTIVES
Linear perspective is a method of painting objects to appear smaller and closer the further away they are from the viewer. Parallel lines will meet at a perspective point on the horizon line (seen or unseen) assuming that the lines are level (eg the opposite sides of a level floor of a rectangular building). By use of perspectives we can make objects look 3 dimensional on a 2 dimensional surface. There can be several perspective points in a painting depending on the angle of the object to both the viewer and the ground, the number of objects, the number of sides in the object and so forth. Next time have a look at the multitude of sides in the various spires at St Patricks Cathedral.
COMPOSITION
Through composition and a main focal point, we can control the point of interest and the way the viewer wanders through the painting. Once a definite focal point is established, the viewer
can be lead either directly or indirectly through the painting. The use of light and dark contrasts will also emphasize the centre of interest.
PLACEMENT OF POINT OF INTEREST
In simple terms there are 4 golden points on a canvas where the main focal point would be pleasantly received by the observer. Divide the canvas into 3 equal columns and rows across the canvas. The 4 golden points lie on the intersection of the first gridlines from each edge.
S-BEND
A pathway, can be a path, could be a series of dip and peaks in valleys and hills etc in the form of an S which will encourage the viewer to linger over a painting. It encourages the viewer to take his or her time to enjoy and wonder through the painting to the point of interest.
DIVIDING THE PAINTING
Avoid placing a continuous (unbroken) line such as a fenceline across the canvas. An unbroken line tends to set up a barrier for the observer.
HORIZON LINE
Avoid placing the horizon line in the middle of the canvas. I can give you a number of reasons but check for yourself, paint a landscape placing the horizon line either a third of the way from the top or the bottom. Once you finished the painting, musk the top or bottom part of the painting so the horizon appears in the middle.
BALANCE
Imagine that the canvas is balanced on the mid-point along the bottom rail like a see-saw. A painting can easily look lop-sided. Try to balance the information contained on both sides of the canvas but at the same time do not create a mirror image on both sides. A painting can be evenly balanced by having a small object near the edge of the painting on one side and a large object on the opposite side nearer to the centre like 2 boys of different weights balancing on a see-saw.
HIGHLIGHTS AND SHADOWS
Highlights in the right areas with the correct intensity can make a good painting even better. Keep in mind where the light is coming from and the direction of your shadows. Also note that the intensity of highlights and shadow increases as you come closer to the foreground.
WARMS AND COLDS
Distance can also be created by the colours used throughout the painting. Look at the horizon in the middle of a clear day. The colour is generally a very pale blue. Move your eye directly above you and notice the sky is a deeper blue. Notice also the ground near the horizon and compare the ground to the middle ground and then the foreground. The lighter blues are a cool colour and give an impression of distance. The reds and brown that appear in the foreground are warmer and appear closer.
REFLECTIONS IN WATER
Light colours tend to reflect darker in water and darks less darker. To help you understand, imagine the water being slightly murky, the values of the reflection start to become more difficult to separate.
COLOURS
The colour wheel is based on red, yellow and blue, being the primary colours which are the 3 pigment colours that can not be mixed or formed by any combination of any other colours.
PRIMARY COLOURS
Red, yellow and blue
SECONDARY COLOURS (derived from mixing the Primary Colours)
Green, orange and purple
TERTIARY COLOURS (derived from mixing Primary with Secondary Colours)
Y
ellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green and yellow-green
