Paint Landscape Backgrounds Using the Color Properties!

The goal is to imagine how color forms specific shapes.

In other words, you will utilize the four color properties to define depth and mood as you paint your own landscape without actually drawing specific objects.

Let the colors do the talking!

As a reminder and to refresh your memory, color has four main properties:

• Hues – the actual color
• Value – how dark or light a color is
• Temperature – how warm or cool the color is
• Intensity – how bright or dull the color is

1. The three main ‘backgrounds’

For you to paint landscape backgrounds effectively, you need to know how a picture divides atmosphere up. Usually, there are three levels: the background, the middle ground, and the foreground.

The background represents those elements that are too far for us to see clearly. Some examples would be high mountains, tree elevations, and the sky itself.

The middle ground is the areas that we can make out the details, and yet, still too far for you to see all the details. For example, you can see a few trees in the distance and can make out the individual trunks that construct the trees but can’t make out the individual branches.

This leaves the foreground. This level represents objects that are pretty much in front of your eyes. You have a keen sense of what the details are because you can actually see them. For example, you can see the individual tree branches of a tree.

But what does it have to do with the color properties? Well, you will find out!

2. Using the color properties

To learn how to paint landscape backgrounds, I will ask you to do your own miniature landscape scenery. Don’t worry; it’s not as hard as you think as you won’t be adding in any of the details.

First, use a nice color gradient hue that shows the intensity and value of a particular temperature. I’m going to use a nice blue to draw a cool atmosphere. You will be referencing the colors on this gradient on this simple picture.

For the background, I’m going to ask you to draw a simple sky and a few mountains as those are objects which are typically far beyond what we can make out clearly.

When you do this simple background, make sure to use a very light version of the hue to do it. Reference it from the gradient scale. The purpose is to simulate the illusion that the mountains and skies are far away.

3. Working on the middle ground

Your trees don’t need to be perfect. I just want you to draw general shapes of what you think the forest in the middle ground will look like.

This will allow you to focus on the shapes of the forest instead of concentrating on each individual tree. As well, it’s to get you into the habit of creating something called and undercoating.

The undercoating is important as it fills in the ‘white’ spots that could be missed if you did each individual tree separately in the middle ground. As well, it gives you an opportunity to refine the forest easier at a later time.

4. Working on the foreground

To paint landscape backgrounds that are in front of the artist, you need to switch your color palette once more. This time, choose the darkest version of that cool hue.

Remember to paint landscape backgrounds on a different layer.

On the front, paint some items that you would see right in front of you. I have chosen some blades of grass that extends as far as it can go. Of course, I also adjust the size of the blades to correspond to the distance.

Once you have done this, you should have realized what this simple landscape painting illustrates in terms of color compositions. Basically, the farther the object is, the duller and lighter the colors become.

See how it matches up with the color gradient?

The reason for this is the build up of air around the objects. Just think of a foggy day as it is the extreme form of air build up. Hence, the more the object is away from you, the more air is placed between you and the object.

It is this increased amount of air that distorts the proper colors of objects from a faraway distance.

Remember this lesson as this is the method most artists use to paint landscape backgrounds and the illusion of depth within these paintings.

Also realize that this is ultimately only a simplistic representation of how it works. You have an infinite number of middle grounds in your landscape painting.

You can obviously add more details if you wish! Use your motivation to do just that and you can turn this simple digital painting into a work of art!

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