Finally, paint some dark shadows onto the foreground grasses. Now, add some highlights to the nearby trees. I mixed Phthalo blue with yellow for the highlights on these trees. Adding these details into the foreground trees also helps to push the mountain further back in the painting, creating the ever important sense of dimension and scale. Reiterating what we covered earlier, using vibrant colors in the foreground which contrast with the cooler muted background, is vital for developing your painting’s sense of perspective. Use a bit of negative painting in the water to help shape the trees. And finally, bring in some of the lighter-purple hues, reflected in the water.
Monochromatic Mountain Painting
Learn how to make this beautiful, calming mountain painting!
-acrylic paint: white, black, and one colour of your choice
-one large flat brush, one small flat brush, one round brush
-painting surface like paper or canvas
-rag/paper towel, container of water
Tips and Tricks
-for this painting we will be using a monochromatic colour scheme. We will be using one colour and making its tints and shades. A tint is a colour mixed with white. A shade is a colour mixed with black. If you find it helpful, you can practice making tints and shades before you start.
-let the mountain layers dry in between
Instructions
- Mix a small amount purple (or any colour of your choice) with white paint to make a light purple.
2. Let the first set of mountains dry. Then add more purple to the paint to make it slightly darker and paint a second layer of mountains.
3. Continue doing the same for the rest of the painting.
4. When the paint is dry, use a small flat brush turned to its side to make a thin line. This will be the trunk for the pine tree. Apply the least amount of pressure to get a thin line.
5. Next, turn the brush back around and make horizontal lines using a stamping motion to make the branches.
6. Continue to fill in the painting with as many trees as you’d like. Let it dry and you’re done!
Materials
I’m using a 12×16 canvas. You can use a smaller canvas if you want, like 9×12. I would recommend keeping the 3:4 ratio the same if possible (11×14 would be a different ratio). If not, you will need to adjust the proportions of the design to fit your canvas.
- Titanium White
- Cadmium Yellow Light
- Cadmium Orange
- Quinacridone Red (PV19)
- Ultramarine Blue
- Mars Black
- Neutral Grey
- Phthalo Blue
Design
First, let’s get started on design.
We’re going to be focusing on painting a master copy of Edgar Payne’s Sierra Mountains. Before we start, I want to give you a tip. If you are referencing a scene from a photograph, experiment with different designs! You could use Photoshop. You could print a photo and remarket it. Or you could fill a page of your sketchbook with different thumbnail designs; remember- you are the boss of your composition and ultimately of your painting! If an element from your reference photo detracts from the overall composition, simply take it out. Once you get the bones of your painting laid down, you’ll find it takes out lots of later guesswork during the painting process!
In fact, Edgar Payne, the artist we’ll be learning about later, was commonly known to do this! For instance, when Payne was starting a design concept to develop into a future painting, he would add and subtract from his sketches until he was happy with the composition. This is probably the most important, albeit underrated, step in the painting process. So remember, be patient. The time you spend on this now will be rewarded later!
Perspective
Okay, now let’s talk about perspective. Mountains are massive! Observe how mountains and their colors and values change as they move farther away from us. If you begin to study mountain paintings, you’ll notice that the colors are warmer and more saturated on foreground objects. Closer objects are darker in value that those in the distance. And if there are layers of mountains moving into the distance, you will see that the farther they recede, the lighter they become. Employing this natural phenomenon called atmospheric veiling is a vital part of creating depth and dimension in our mountain paintings.
Another important aspect to keep in mind as you paint are your brush strokes! When painting mountains in acrylic, we have ample opportunities to create texture and angles with our brushwork that will capture the natural ruggedness of mountains and mountain ranges. Thoughtfully place these brushstrokes, use them wisely. Whether you are painting plain rocks or rocks covered in snow, think about the direction your brushstrokes are moving; horizontal, vertical, at an angle, etc. and vary them accordingly.
Before we move on to painting mountains step-by-step, let me introduce you to one of my favorite artists, Edgar Payne, the painter of the stunning piece we are focusing on today.
Edgar Payne was born in the heart of the Ozarks, near Cassville MI, in 1883. He formally started his art career by enrolling at the Art Institute of Chicago, to study portrait art, but he didn’t stay. Two weeks after enrolling, Payne departed, finding the Institute too structured for his liking. Payne trusted his natural sense of artistic direction, relying on teaching himself and practicing lots. He transitioned into landscapes and worked his way to California at the age of 26. Payne spent several months painting the gorgeous coastline around Laguna Beach (where he would later have his studio and home; and help start the Laguna Beach Art Association and become its first president). Payne then went up to San Francisco, where he met his future wife, commercial artist Elsie Palmer. The next year Payne visited the Sierra Nevada Mountains for the first time. This was a turning point in his career. He would return many times to paint the untouched Sierras; these paintings are some of the most recognizable of his fantastic work.
So with that inspiration, let’s jump right in and find out what materials we’ll need to get started!
