Landscape TIPS
What paint colours are recommended to use to paint landscapes?
I suggest using a limited palette because it creates harmonious colour combinations for your painting, you learn how to mix colours and it reduced the number of tubes of paint you need to purchase.
Here is a sample of a limited palate>
Acrylic Paints in Primary Colours
2 yellows, 2 Blues, 2 reds, with these you can mix what you need:
Cadmium Yellow, Yellow Ochre
Ultra-marine blue, Prussian blue or Phthalo Blue or Cobalt Blue
Red Cadmium, Cool red, Alizarin Crimson
Sap Green
To tone:
Titanium White
To darken
Burnt Sienna or burnt umber or black
What about Cool Colours and Warm Colours?
Colour temperature is a scale of how cool or warm a colour is. Cool colours include your blues and greens, while warm colours include yellows, oranges and reds.
Think of colour temperature compared to the other colours in your painting. For example you have a cool blue and you mix a touch of orange. This mixed colour will be warmer than the blue without the orange mixed in.
TIP: You may want to use warmer greens to bring attention to the foreground andhave cooler colours in the background. By using warmer colours in the front of a painting, it makes it come forward, and the cool colour tend to make the background go back.
TIP Start dark or Light?
For acrylic paintings, as well as oils painting, you will find it easier by starting
with the darkest values in your painting, then later work towards your highlights.
How to Start?
To get a head start on your Landscape painting, you will want to join one of our Landscape workshops starting March 2023. It will get you ready for your summer painting experience in the studio or outside “plein Air” with tips and suggestions.
“It’s a great kick off to your future Landscape painting.”
You will be working in the professional art studio, of Wine country, with your own easel and daylight illumination. Working in acrylic paint on canvas at your own pace, beginners to some experience, all welcomed.