Landscape Paintings: Your Go‑To Guide for Great Scenery Art

Ever stared at a mountain photo and thought, "I could paint that"? You’re not alone. Landscape painting is one of the easiest ways to start creating art because nature gives you endless subjects and a clear sense of space. Below are simple steps you can follow right now, no matter if you work with watercolors, oils, or acrylics.

Pick a Medium and Keep It Simple

First, decide what you’ll use. Watercolor is great for quick sketches of sky and water because it dries fast and blends nicely. Oil paint gives you a rich texture and lets you work slow, perfect for deep forests or sunset glow. Acrylic sits in the middle – it dries fast like watercolor but stays opaque like oil. If you’re not sure, start with a cheap set of acrylics – they clean up with water and you won’t need special solvents.

Once you have your paint, grab a medium‑size canvas or a pad of heavyweight paper. Don’t worry about size; a 9×12 inch board is enough to practice composition without feeling overwhelmed.

Master Light and Color Basics

Light is the heart of every landscape. Look at where the sun hits the scene – the brightest parts are usually the sky, water, or a highlighted rock. Use a light color for those highlights and a darker tone for shadows. A quick trick: mix a little bit of the sky’s color into the shadow to keep the whole painting feeling unified.

For color, start with a limited palette. Pick three colors for the sky (a cool blue, a warm orange, and a neutral gray), two greens for foliage, and one earthy brown for ground. Mix all other shades from these basics. This keeps your work harmonious and saves you time hunting for the perfect hue.

Set Up a Simple Composition

Don’t try to paint everything you see. Choose a focal point – a tree, a cottage, a mountain peak – and place it off‑center. The rule of thirds works well: imagine the canvas split into nine squares and put your main subject on one of the intersecting lines.

Use foreground, middle ground, and background to add depth. A few big rocks or a short fence in the foreground tells the eye where the scene starts. Then add medium‑size trees or hills, and finish with distant mountains or a hazy sky.

Work in Layers, Not Strokes

If you’re using oil or acrylic, follow the “slow over fast” rule: paint thicker, slower‑drying layers on top of thin, fast‑drying ones. Start with a thin wash for sky and distant ground, then add thicker strokes for foliage and details. This prevents cracking later and keeps colors vivid.

With watercolor, work from light to dark. Lay down a light wash for sky, let it dry, then add deeper colors for clouds and distant hills. Save the darkest values for the foreground where they’ll have the most impact.

Quick Tips You Can Try Right Now

• Use a small dab of white paint on a dry brush to add realistic highlights on water or wet rocks.
• Roll a wet brush across a drying sky to create soft clouds without painting each one.
• Mask off a bright section of the sky with tape, paint a dark foreground, then remove the tape for a clean edge.
• Practice a “one‑scene” study: pick a view, set a timer for 30 minutes, and paint the whole scene in one go. It forces you to focus on the most important shapes.

Landscape painting is all about observation and repetition. The more you go outside, sketch, and apply these simple steps, the faster you’ll see improvement. Grab your supplies, step outside, and start turning those views into art today.