Tips for Drawing Literary Landscapes

by Art Gib, freelance writer on behalf of Winthuysen Foundation, Inc. (12-May-2011)

There are several ways to express an artistic talent. Some people sculpt. Some people sew. Some people paint. Regardless of how one decides to express their artistic and creative view, it’s a good idea to do research and continue learning how to improve upon it. Those who like to draw portraits of people or literary landscapes have difficult tasks ahead of them. For those who appreciate literary landscapes, though, there are some helpful tips that can be found below.

 

One of the biggest challenges in drawing literary landscapes is that of layering. Usually, when an entire landscape is being portrayed, less important items end up being given preference. One should not give foreground preference to something that isn’t visually stimulating. It’s OK to tweak what is actually seen and give preference to the objects that should be placed in front due to their visual appeal.

 

A common mistake that many novices make as they attempt to pain landscapes is that they feel the need to include every detail. This does not showcase any creativity at all. The point of painting is to help the onlooker to see the section according to the painters’ perception. This means being selective in which items and images actually make it to the canvass. Something everyone will notice from famous landscape painters is that they definitely do not include every detail of the landscape and rightly so.

 

It is incredibly important to pick good lighting when attempting a painting of any kind. If one cannot see properly, it will compromise the outcome of the entire piece. It can be difficult to get the lighting and shadows to reflect perfectly in a landscape painting because the position of the sun moves as the painter paints. Large Barcelona paintings, for example, could take days to paint. Selecting to return to the same spot at the same time each day can definitely enhance the overall outcome regarding proper lighting and shadows.

 

Green is a very important color to have when undergoing this type of art. Many artists will say that those who do not mix their own greens are ‘cheating’. This is not necessarily true. The greens that come out of a tube can be perfectly adequate for the job. What is important is that the greens that are selected are similar in color to the actual landscape greens. Of course, knowing how to mix greens is a great way to improve upon any painting.  Those who follow these tips for literary landscapes are those who will indeed end up with better paintings than if otherwise.

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