Scenery - Color Basics: Three-Step Practice

Author: Tong Yanrun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: This book selects color landscape sketching steps and sample paintings as illustrations, accompanied by introductions to tools and materials, as well as analyses of artworks. It is an indispensable guide for beginners. When learning landscape sketching, pay attention to the following points:
1. Start simple and progress gradually. Initially, you can choose relatively simple subjects to paint, such as a house, a tree, or a bridge. These may seem easy, but they can actually be challenging to draw.
2. Natural scenery is often complex. Don’t just draw what you see. Before painting, observe and analyze, selecting typical elements—such as what the main subject is, what the supporting elements are, and which angle looks best.
3. Pay special attention to the representation of space. Emphasize the distinction between foreground, middle ground, and background. Generally, the background should be exaggerated in its "softness." The middle ground is often the focal point and should be detailed. For the foreground, avoid overemphasizing its complexity, as this may distract from the main subject.
4. Keep the painting size small and the sketching time short (around one hour). This helps train you to quickly and holistically capture various tonal changes without getting bogged down in detailed depictions of small details. In landscape composition, the most important thing is choosing the viewpoint—whether it’s a flat view, a bird’s-eye view, or a worm’s-eye view.