Lesson objective:

Students will create a landscape painting that incorporates a house/building, mountains, trees, and a water feature.

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Vocabulary:

• atmospheric perspective: effect of air and light on how an object is perceived by the viewer.  the more air between the viewer and the object, the more the object seems to fade. a bright object seems closer to the viewer than a dull object.

 

• background: part of the picture plane that seems to be farthest from the viewer.

 

• foreground: part of the picture plane that appears closest to the viewer.  the foreground is usually at the bottom of the picture.

 

• horizon: point at which earth and sky seem to meet.

 

• landscape: painting or drawing in which natural land scenery, such as mountains, trees, rivers, or lakes, is the main feature.

 

• middle ground: area in a picture between the foreground and the background.

 

• perspective: a graphic system that creates the illusion of depth and volume on a two-     dimensional surface. perspective is created by overlapping, size variations, placement, detail, color, and converging lines.

 

• seascape: painting or drawing in which the sea is the subject.

 

 

Procedure:

• look at several examples of landscape paintings.

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• 2. practice paintings: blue sky, sunrise/sunset, palm trees, oak trees, pine trees, mountains, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, and grass.

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• choose multiple photographs of a landscape to work from, preferably ones you’ve taken yourself.  photos should be similar in colors/landscapes so you can easily blend them together.

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• ​do several sketches, editing the photo as necessary for your composition.

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• ​once you have a strong idea and good composition, enlarge onto watercolor paper. 

• be sure to trace using a light pencil and avoid heavy erasing.

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• ​use acrylic paints and any techniques practiced in the creation of your landscape.

 

 

Materials:

• photographs of landscapes

• 12”x 18” watercolor paper

• acrylic paints

• brushes

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Frequently Asked Questions about Landscape Paintings

From the article: Famous Landscape Paintings – A List of the Best Painted Landscapes by artincontext. March 24, 2022 in Paintings. https://artincontext.org/famous-landscape-paintings/

 

Are the Painted Landscapes by Famous Landscape Artists Real or Made Up?

Some famous landscape artists have tried to capture their favorite places exactly as they exist, while some have tried to capture the feeling or essence of a place based on the impression it left on them. Others prefer to create landscapes from their imagination, while some even create fascinating hybrid paintings that are both real and fabricated. No matter the original inspiration or source material, it is through their artwork that we are able to appreciate these places as experienced through the eyes of the landscape artists who created them, whether real or not.

 

Are There Landscape Painters Outside of Europe and America?

Yes, you can find famous landscape paintings from many corners of the planet. In fact, Asia, specifically Japan and China, where there is a long and colorful history of landscape painting tradition. Interestingly, there was no traditional word in China or Japan for landscape, which was rather just referred to as “mountain and water”. There are two types of traditional Asian landscape painting, with the one being the China Song Dynasty’s monochromatic depictions of pruned trees and swirling mist, and the other being a more colorful and contemporary version. The latter of the two was less topographical than the traditional version and was more ornamental, often utilizing gold leaf in the elaborate designs of the painted landscapes.

 

Did All Landscape Artists Only Paint Landscapes?

Although there are several artists whose niche was landscape painting, many of them were able to paint anything from portraits to still lifes in addition to landscapes. Some were required to paint religious or civic themes for their patrons, and landscape painting was a personal way for them to relax and express themselves.