I hope you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. So I thought this time I’ll talk more about the autumn scenery as a whole. I love autumn, obviously, with the colors it offers. Especially when the sun hits the yellow and orange leaves. The place filled with this wonderful glow that can really bring warmth to my heart. That being said, there are a few things that you need to pay attention to when it comes to painting an autumn scenery. These are something that I mess up from time to time as well.
Don’t confuse color with value - This is the most common mistake students make. Especially on a sunny autumn day. When you look at a tree with yellow and red leaves that are lit by the sun. It can get so bright and vivid you would think that they are bright values. However, they are actually closer to the middle value. If you switch it to black and white, you can clearly see that they are not as light as you think. This is the value studies are important. Because it helps you to see the proper value. Otherwise, the warm bright color will not be as rich as it should be.
Simplify the details - This goes without saying. Especially when you are trying to paint a loose painting. This can be especially difficult because it is very difficult to disregard the beautiful details in nature. That being said, the big shapes are still the most important thing because that’s what makes your painting read. So it’s important to focus on the shape and capture the essence of the scene rather than trying to copy details.
Pick a paintable subject - Where I live, there are beauties everywhere I go because it’s filled with trees with golden brown leaves. And it can be overwhelming. So of course, you want to pick a subject that speaks to you. But you still need to keep in mind that you are going to paint the scenery. You need to evaluate if the scenery is paintable. If it is beautiful but doesn’t have a strong paintable shape, it’s perfectly fine to keep it as a photograph. Or just soak it in and enjoy it with your own eyes.
This week’s video I’m sharing with you the process of a autumn scenery painting. I hope you enjoy this video. Often time, simple scenery is actually harder to paint. Because it’s very easy to start painting repetitive marks. So know how to simplify and focus on the big shape is still very important. That’s it for today’s video. Again, the full unedited demo for this painting is available for students who enrolled in the watercolor essential course for free. So if you already got the course, be sure to check the bonus page. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.