I have an acrylic painting student that is interested in improving her landscapes. We’ve been working on some techniques that I don’t often use in my more abstract pieces and I’ve found a new appreciation for them. It has been fun to explore more traditional painting with her and I thought I’d share a few tips that seemed to help make a painted landscape (especially clouds and tree branches) appear more realistic.
The clouds: After brushing on the base color (a loose mix of grey and white), I used a fan brush to soften the lines. The fan brush (kept fairly dry and used like a paddle or dauber) allows you to spread and blend the original wet layer creating some texture and further blending harsh paint strokes and lines. You will notice in the picture that the clouds and sky appear more natural as if they are floating intertwined rather than each as a separate entity.
The Tree: To create those fine branches that haunt a winter scene, I select a small round brush. Then while holding it at the very end of the brush handle, I roll it between my fingers while dragging it up and off the canvas.
If you have a technique to share, please send it as a comment.
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