How to Paint a Landscape

Painting in general isn't exactly everybody's ballpark. Some people do it professionally, some as a hobby, some not at all. However, painting has been proven to provide beneficial stress-relief affects for anyone, regardless of their full-time profession, their skill, or their intent for painting in the first place. Actually, if painting is practiced without the pressure involved in a professional art career, it is of much more benefit as there is nothing involved but the sheer enjoyment of the experience. The best part about painting and art in general is that you're the boss of your own creation, there are no rules (or no rigid rules) except that the more you experiment the more fun you'll have and the better the result will be.

How to Paint a Landscape with Watercolors or Acrylic Paints:

Step 1 (Optional):

- Map out your composition or design and/or decide on a general color theme.

Step 2:

- Choose a large size brush, any kind or make, then choose any color you like and water it down with a little bit of water. Strain your brush.

- With large free brush strokes, start applying the watered paint across your paint surface, paper or canvas; start filling in the largest areas first, most importantly, the background.

Step 3:

- Choose another color, one in contrast with your first color would be best. Then start filling in the foreground or the area on the bottom of your paint surface.

Step 4:

- Observe which painted areas appear too thin or transparent, if you like it that way then move on to the next step. If you feel it needs more work, then start applying more layers, either of the same color mixed with other colors, or just that one color without so much water.

Step 5:

- Fill in any areas which you don't want to leave empty, then consider adding texture through applying dots with your brush, or use a tissue, or your fingers. Apply several layers of colors with different affects to get the final mood you're striving for.

Step 6:

- Step away from the painting. Think about what else it needs. If you feel like adding splotches of green, blue, yellow, etc. then just go ahead. Do what you feel till the image appears relaxing to your own eye.

Step 7:

- Congratulate yourself for a job well done.

Tips:

Mixing colors can be a bit tricky, here's a quick guide;

Red + Blue = Purple

Red + Yellow = Orange

Yellow + Blue = Green

Any color (eg. Green) + white = a lighter color (eg. Light green)

Mix all the colors together, you'll get a brown-black

The secret is to play around with it and simply enjoy the process. Art is about experimentation and expressing whatever you feel through colors and brushstrokes. The landscape is YOUR landscape, it can be any color you wish, and can have any horizon you desire. If you're observing a landscape, try to capture the contrast in colors, whichever colors you choose, it doesn't matter, as long as you try to get the feeling of what you see.