How to Do a Landscape Oil Painting From Start to Finish
Landscapes have always been an important subject matter for artists to paint. Ideally, a landscape in oils should be painted in the open air, on a clear, sunny day. The painting would need to be started and finished on the same day, unless weather conditions became so bad that they made it too difficult to paint. Painting a landscape in oils can be a nice and unique way to preserve an area you have always been fond of.
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Instructions
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Prepare yourself thoroughly, including being prepared for rain. Make sure that you have made contingency plans for getting your painting covered in the case of a downpour. Select your location and pick somewhere which will leave you free to paint without being too badly disturbed. Also stay within your capabilities as to what you can actually paint in a day. Though oil paint will dry more quickly outdoors, a really detailed landscape, including dozens of trees, for instance, could take a very long time to paint.
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Sketch the landscape view you want to paint in charcoal or with a pencil. Chose a central and notable point in the landscape from which to start your sketch. With oils, you don't require a detailed drawing, because oils are a medium which allow you to both lay on paint and, with a palette knife, easily remove paint which has been laid on too thickly. A landscape painting will normally take several hours to finish, so, because of light issues, that will give you less time to create a detailed drawing.
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Paint the outlines of the main features of the landscape -- trees, hills, mountains, rivers, etc. The landscape sketch will make this task easier, as you will only need to paint over the sketched outlines that are already in place.
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Fill in details of the landscape. You should begin with the main natural features previously mentioned. Once you have painted, in detail, the landscape's main features, move on to the smaller details, which may be animals, birds, people, or buildings. The images closer to you should be more vibrant. The images further away can be painted with softer tones.
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Move on to the mass areas of the painting -- grass, fields, sky. The sky and shadows should be the final part to be painted, because the light will have gradually changed throughout the day. Notice the shadows on everything in your painting and these should be the final painted part of your landscape.
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Tips & Warnings
If you want to paint a landscape on a rainy day, resist the temptation to go outside. Find a location undercover from which to paint your scene.
Don't choose an uninteresting scene just because it is easy to paint. A landscape which inspires you will galvanize you into creating a good painting.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Palette with oil paints image by petercoupe from Fotolia.com
