Painting what you see

Keeping it loose

Sketch, Sketch, Sketch everyday. You won't get better as an artist unless you learn to see. Sketching does that for you. Keep a pocket sketch book and minimal supplies with you even in your car. Sketch everything that interest you. Learn to see the colors in shadow and in light. Best advise ever! I wish now I had more sketchbooks filled than I do. 

Paint what you see...easy right? Well, not all the time. Take your notes while you're out, use the photo as a tool to help with color notes and values, but let free yourself once you get the bones of your scene down. Use gouache or markers to help you through. The more time you spend on preparing for the painting the looser your strokes, the less you feel like you have to copy what you see. The more you can feel free to change the colors and mood you want to portray.

I have multiple photos I can draw from that I have taken. If you truly understand the landscape then you'll be able to paint what you feel too. Remember to keep in mind that the camera sees the images as flat. It will make the darks look black and the lights will be light. If you just use it as a starting point of shapes and values, you can let your imagination free. It's so wonderful when that happens. Your paintings may take on an abstract feel to them. There are artist that love to paint photo realism. Their work is amazing, but if you look closely you'll be able to see where in areas they have taken the liberty to introduce dynamic color. 

So how do we get there?

• Take the photo - thumbnail and frame it with a dark L shape mats to really pop out the area of the photo you find interesting. Remember each photo can have multiple areas of interest for paintings.

• Find the horizon line and mark it with a marker. (I use 3 values of TomBow markers). Do the darks first. Then, block in the midvalue. Let the lights be the light of the paper. Use the main structures only in the scene for this. It's ok to cut parts out of the photo. Leave big uninteresting areas that scream for attention out. It's ok to not look at the photo. Try really hard to not look at the photo for any detail. Keep it simple. It's ok to cut the sky out if to much, and ok to leave large foregrounds out too. Very SIMPLE is key

• With your markers draw a 2x3 box and work out the simple shapes only. Is the composition pleasing? When you have worked that out you can transfer it to the painting surface.

• Block in the big simple dark areas. Just shade it in. No need to draw, your objective is to stay loose. use an old brush to wipe out some of the charcoal to show a value change if you want like I did on the side of the mountain. 

This was blocked in with wood charcoal

• The example above was completed on a half sheet of art spectrum paper in gray. 

• Remember, to paint
•  Dark to Light
• Light touch to thick strokes
• background to foreground

• Squint Squint and Squint again to see shapes and values. Do this throughout the painting process and step back often to evaluate 

• Use broad strokes, light touch to identify local colors
• Block in darker background trees or objects, use a mid value color to start with
• Then move to background (far distance) 
• Try out a sky color, when you find the color you want put that in. Make sure to use a light touch around the foreground tree shapes so you can add sky holes later
• Remember to play down non focal area
• Not important objects in the scene. Rule of thumb: If it doesn't help in the design it might not need to be there
• Look at your edges. If they are not the focal point then they should be soften. Especially things sitting in the far distance. This will help to push those objects back further in the picture plane. 
• Foreground treatment
• Add a few bright colors to indicate where the values will be
• Try out very bright colors in small bits with soft edges
• Add brighter strokes on the horizon line to separate the planes visually in the painting
• Use large and small strokes to help lead the eye into the painting
• Try a little grayed color to the bright horizon line.
• Try very little but, bright lights in the background trees. 
• Use also, gray greens to balance color
• Mark Making
• It matters! mix flat strokes with line strokes in grasses
• Short small minimal strokes in foreground

Rule of thumb notes

Water

1. Light passages (like the sky)are usually darker in water reflections 
2. Darker passages are lighter in the water (reflections or shadows)
3. Start with lighter passages of the sky and soften the edges
4. In the front of the painting go even lighter in some of the passages 
5. Indicate foreground foliage colors with the water colors

Most of the picture should have the initial block in done

Putting it all together

Refine your painting. Check for;

• brighter colors and smudged edges
• touch up the darks