Drawing Landscapes: What To Know

One common misconception about landscape artists is that they never draw any nature. This couldn’t be farther from the truth! Nature is one of the most common subjects for a landscape artist to draw, and how you draw it is often just as important as how much you draw of it. You can use many techniques to draw landscapes, but you need to know what type of landscapes you want to draw—is it a desert, mountains, trees, or something else?

There are a few things to know when you’re planning an outdoor landscape painting. First, don’t try to do too much. Your goal with a landscape painting is simple: to paint the land, trees, and sky as you see it. That involves getting out with your camera and sketchbook and taking a few photographs. Then, you make a few marks on your paper that represent the objects you want to paint. Lastly, you use those marks to trace the objects onto your canvas.

Here’s how to draw landscape:

  • Basic Shapes. 

The simple shapes used to build up to complex constructions are known as the basic shapes. The most common of these are the triangle, the square, and the circle. Other shapes that are more complex are applied to these basic shapes, such as the triangle’s turning into a trapezoid, square turning into an equilateral triangle, and circle turning into a sphere.

  • Window, Door, and Roof Lines. 

Whether you’re a budding artist or an experienced one, you can take your art to the next level with a bit of knowledge about the elements of art. Below are some important elements in the art world: 

Window – This refers to the section of the art piece that you can see through. 

Door – The hole of the window. 

Roof – The part of the art piece that is above the rest of the scene.

  • Details to the Building and Tree. 

It’s hard to get everyone to agree on the best proportions for a building or a tree, but it’s a pretty safe bet to assume that people prefer buildings and trees outside to look more realistic than straight lines. The rule of thumb for drawing buildings and trees is that the top of a building or tree should be no farther from the ground than the middle of the building or tree unless you want to draw a very tall building or tree. The same rule applies to the ground line: the ground should be no farther from the horizon than the middle of the ground, unless you want to draw a very long horizon, as the horizon of the ocean.

  • Definition to the Trees, Foliage, and Sheep. 

Trees, foliage, and sheep are all part of the landscape, but they don’t always get included in the same drawing. The following example is drawn separately and then combined and organized according to the subject’s thematic relationships.

  • Refine the Sheep and Trees. 

The Sheep and Tree project is an ongoing series of drawings that will continue to evolve over time. The project will include both sheep and trees in its initial collection when it begins. Since they’re opposites, the sheep and trees will eventually be separated out, with the sheep following a stylized path through the trees (the sheep will have their own page) and the trees following a corresponding path through the sheep.

  • Shading and Grass.

Shading and grass are the two most common elements in landscape art. They are the basis of all landscape paintings and the foundation for all artists. Although shading and grass are simple, it’s their simplicity that makes them so versatile. Shading is a method of creating contrast between light and dark areas of an image.

Drawing landscapes may look easy, but you should know a few things. When sketching, you have to have an eye for the details. Foreground objects have to be drawn in the correct proportions, and bushes and trees must be drawn uniquely. Since the sky is an important element for a landscape, it has to be chosen carefully since the sky affects everything else in the composition. Finally, you should learn how to draw the horizon in a landscape so that the viewer can easily understand the place where the picture was taken and the seasons that may affect it.