Your First Painting with Drawing Tips
A simple (uninteresting) image to make into your first panting.
Step 1 - decide and lightly draw the horizon - dividing land and sky
Step 2 - decide the land (mentally) into 3 - foreground, mid distance & distance
Step 3 - decide similarly the sky - overhead, mid distance & distance
Step 4 - draw in your distant objects - trees and hedgerows - keep them simple shapes
Step 5 - big drawing pitfall in this image. The water runs from the foreground
to the horizon. This will make it, in your drawing, look like a vertical object. Sometimes an object in real life will look perfectly OK but really odd in
a drawing. This is often (as in this case) corrected by making the water flow
from the foreground area through the mid distance area to the distance
Never to the horizon itself. (See the drawing/painting below)
Step 6 - finish the drawing/composition with balanced placement of the remaining
trees, bushes etc you choose to include
Step 7 - the first washes. Make them watery and let them flow. Let the colours
bleed together - this will soften the final look of the painting and make it look less amateurish. Let these washes dry 100% before you continue
Step 8 - Start developing the mid tones, beginning in the distant hedges and tree.
The 'wash' mix will need to be thicker (less water) in order to create contrast.
Follow on with the meadows either side of the river. As you paint towards the
foreground reeds you will be using less water in your mix. Don't overdo it but aim to add contrast. It's contrast that separates objects and make your painting
look more 3D
Step 9 - When you get to the foreground your tones and colours should
have a noticeable contrast. Be sure not to paint out your 'lights' Your painting
will look flat if there is no clear light in th3 image
Step 10 - Finally put in your details. In this image they will mainly be in and near to the
Reeds. Don't paint too much detail in the mid distance, and little or no details
in the far distance
