The final step is to add stars, as well as any other details you would like to add.
How to paint mountains, rivers in a landscape demonstration.
This is a long demonstration! How to paint mountains can be a very complex subject, but you have some interesting tools on your side to tackle this big project. I’ll explain as we proceed.
Below is my reference photo facing north while standing on the Harry Byrd Memorial Bridge located on the Blue Ridge Parkway just north of the Rt.501 entrance. If you’re ever near this location, I highly recommend a visit. Especially if you enjoy Plein Air painting. Several paintings will come from this one visit my son and I had while motorbike riding the parkway.
Things I want to point out concerning the reference. Lots of folks would rather paint a sunset or sunrise, or at least a close proximity to those times as the shadows on the landscape will be long and moody.
In this instance, the sun is almost directly overhead with a slight breeze on the water and causing lots of shimmers both on the water and the leaves of the trees. There is also a great reflection on both banks to give viewers that mirror reflection that is so pleasing.
Click on any image to get a closer look.
After cropping the reference a bit, and placing my river in the bottom third, the background mountains in the middle third and all sky for the top third, I transfered the drawing (fairly detailed) onto the canvas. Using an acrylic matt medium, (brushed on lightly as to not disturb the drawing), I sealed the pencil drawing. Then lightly sanding, I proceeded with an acrylic color underpainting. This was roughed in with a very large brush.
My colors in the tupperware tub are white, cad yellow, pale green, cerulean blue, cad red. Starting out with the sky, just roughing it in. Blending acrylics for me just doesn’t work, they dry to fast, and using a slow dry medium is like mixing boiled okra slime into the paint. (yea, thats a southern vegetable that is fantastic fried, but sliming as snails in a soup)
That’s about a #12 filbert brush you see there.
How to paint mountains, but first we gotta start with the sky!
By the time I have my one brush cleaned, and the tub washed, that acrylic layer is fully dried! I can now start on my sky. Again, Titanium white, and cerulean blue with a touch of Liquin Medium to help this dry overnight. Mixing 5 shades, darkest at the top and working my way down I lay in the color quickly and begin blending with a large fan brush then a large mop brush.
Because this is a fairly large canvas, (24 x 36) I will need lots of paint.
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Now, some folks can get this kind of smooth transition with other mediums. Me? only with oil paints. And over the next few days, I repeat this process 2 more times with thinner paint as glazes to even the transitions out so it is barely perceptible.
I overlap the tops of the trees too as this will give a more natural look when the tree canopies are being put in.
Below is a close up of the background mountain with its road running along just below the ridge line. This is just an initial lay in of color with a few details added. Normally details wait till a finishing layer, but here, as a background mountain range, I will not be adding much more to it.
The mountain has features (crevices) that were laid in with a slightly darker purple. They follow the contour and form of the mountain. At this distance, individual trees cannot be seen.
How to paint mountains, the middle ground begins.
In this next picture, I begin the middle ground mountains. These are a little more intense in color and the value range is beginning to broaden. Again, individual trees cannot be seen, but the overall shape of the canopies are beginning to be realized. The most important thing here is to get the values correct. Those blue grays, can’t be to dark, or too light. Each mountain feature that moves closer to the viewer will have darker darks, and lighter lights. And a bit more color intensity.
In this photo, you can see on the left, some hills behind the foreground trees, and on the right, a large section of forest that has first, the darks laid in, then the greens over top. These are done with a #4 filbert and #4 liner.
As we continue to move forward into the foreground, more trees on the left. Darks put down first. The trees on the right are developed a bit more with some details using a #1 liner to add canopy tops.
Here, the left foreground trees are being developed more with greens put over top the darks. Using mostly a #1 liner. Varying shades of green are also used.
In this closeup of the foreground trees on the left, at least 5 different shades of green are used to develop the tree tops. It looks very abstract up close, but at viewing range of 3 to 6 feet, the realism is incredible.
In this closeup of the trees left, our biggest and closest tree is being started with darks being put in.
A #4 old beat up filbert was used.
Introduction: Paint a Mountain Sunset (for Beginners)
Acrylic painting is a fun and easy way to introduce yourself to art without investing too much time or money. It is also be an excellent way to relax and the finished products can even be used as decorations or gifts.
I will walk you through step-by-step to paint this picture. Art is highly subjective and everyone has their own style, so taking artistic liberties in your paint color, mountain shape, star pattern, ect. is perfectly fine! It is also acceptable to follow the instructions exactly as they are presented, especially if you are still unsure of the process.
The most important thing to remember is to have fun–whether you enjoy the process, the end result, or (hopefully) both!
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Step 1: Gather Your Materials
- A Canvas (or other durable surface, such as thick paper)
- Acrylic Paints*: yellow, orange, pink, purple, black, and white
- A Palette (a paper plate works fine)
- Three Brushes: large and flat, medium and pointed/round, and small and fine
- Water (to clean off brushes; a ceramic mug or paper cup work best)
- A Pencil
- A Toothpick
- Spray Sealant (optional)
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Step 2: Beginning Your Painting
- With your pencil, draw a faint line between 1/4 and 1/3 up from the bottom of your canvas: this will be your horizon line.
- Pour some yellow paint on your palette. If it is too thick to spread easily, you may thin it by mixing in a few drops of water.
- With your large flat brush, apply a thin coat of paint to the middle third of your canvas in arching, side-to-side strokes. It is very important to keep your brush strokes consistently in the same direction for this portion.
- Fan out the yellow paint until it will spread no farther up or down. It is fine to paint past your pencil line as long as you can still see it.
- If your first coat is not thick enough, do not panic! Simply add another thin coat once the base coat has completely dried.
- NOTE: If you are using a canvas, be sure to paint on the sides and onto the back as well! It can be messy on the back, but it will look strange at different angles if you don’t take the paint all the way. The above example is my finished painting; it’s not pretty, but it doesn’t have to be.
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