Paint The Mood: Expressive Landscapes With Acrylics

1. Class Intro: Hi. Hi. I am Ola, a landscape artist, passionate about creating expressive and atmospheric scenes. And welcome to paint the mood Expressive Landscapes with acrylics. I am so excited to guide you on this creative journey. We will explore how to capture the beauty of landscapes through loose brush strokes, bold colors, and a touch of mood and drama. Together, we will learn how to create depth, balance, and light while embracing the imperfections that make each painting unique. Whether you're just starting out or looking to expand your skills, this class is all about enjoying the process and discovering your own artistic voice. It's not about perfection. It's about storytelling through your brush and finding joy in every layer of paint. Let's create something beautiful together. 2. Class Project: Your project will be to create an expressive landscape painting that captures depths, mood, and light. Using the techniques we will explore step by step. Don't worry. This class is designed to be approachable and enjoyable, whether you're beginner or more experienced. Let's dive in and get started. 3. Art Supplies: In this lesson, I'll guide you through the tools and materials we will use to create a vibrant and textured landscape. Let's start with the paint. While I have a variety of colors displayed, you won't need them all. For this class, I'll focus on a limited palette, ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, or yellow oxide, burn sienna, raw amber, and titanium white. This selection is versatile and perfect for creating harmonious and cohesive landscapes. Next, let's talk about the palette for mixing colors. I prefer using paper instead of a traditional palette. These papers often become part of my creative process, as I reuse them for collage or even paint directly on them, resulting in unique textures and unexpected elements. Now for the surface, I'll be working on a fabriano bristol pad. I love its smooth surface which complements acrylic paints beautifully. However, feel free to use watercolor or mixed media paper if that's what you have on hand. For brushes, I use mix of professional and affordable options to achieve a variety of brush strokes and textures. Having a selection of flat, round and detailed brushes allows you to handle everything from bold sweeping strokes to intricate details. Lastly, don't forget a jar of water for cleaning your brushes and some paper towels for dabbing. Keeping these essentials close by will make your painting process smooth and enjoyable. Now that we've covered the supplies, let's get started on painting. 4. Laying The Foundation: Sketching And Blocking In: In this lesson, we're starting with the physics, laying the foundation for our painting with a simple sketch and the first layer of color. This step is all about setting the tone and the structure in a relaxed, approachable way. I begin with a very simple sketch using a piece of fellow charcoal. I love using this because it's soft, forgiving, and helps me stay loose. It's perfect for roughing out the mean sheets and getting a feel for the composition without worrying too much about details. If I don't like a line, I can easily smudge or adjust it, which makes the process really free. At this stage, I'm just mapping out where things will go. Large shapes like the sky, the land, or any big elements in the scene. It's quick, relaxed and gives us a good foundation before we dive into painting. Don't worry about perfection. It's all about creating a guide to follow as we move forward. Now that the sketch is complete, I am starting with the first layer of paint. I begin by mixing ultramarine blue with titanium white to create a soft light blue for the sky. To mute the color slightly, I add a touch of Burnsen to the mix. This gives the blue a more natural atmospheric tone. Using a large brush, I apply this color in smooth horizontal strokes across the upper part of the paper, covering the sky area. Now I adjust the mix by adding a bit more titanium white to lighten the color. I lend this directly on the paper to create subtle variations in the sky, giving it a natural gradient and a sense of text. At this stage, I am keeping everything loose and expressive, focusing on covering the paper with color and building the foundation for the next layer. The details will come later as we refine the painting. With the sky complete, I move on to the distant hells. To create a sense of depth, I start by using the same mix as the sky, ultramarine blue, titanium white, and a touch of burn seen. This ensures the heals feel connected to the atmosphere. I then dip in the tone by adding more ultramarine, a bit of burn sienna, and a touch of yellow oxide. This creates a muted natural color that contrasts subtly with the lighter sky tones, adding dimension and a sense of distance. To soften the edges of the halls and enhance the illusion of distance, I like to use my finger. By gently blending the edges with my fingertip, I create a smooth transition that helps the hells recede into the background, giving the scene a soft atmospheric quality. To maintain consistency and harmony in the painting, I mix new colors by adding them to the colors already on my palette. This approach helps create smooth transitions between tunes and ties the entire painting together. I begin by painting the shadows in the foreground using the same large brush, I take the existing mix on my palette and add ultramarine blue, Bernsiana raw amber, and a touch of yellow oxide to deepen and warm up the tone. I apply this mix in broad sweeping strokes, focusing on areas where the shadows naturally fall. This adds depth and grounds their composition. Next, I move to the midground. Again, using the same large brush, I build on the existing mix by adding yellow oxide, ultramarine blue, and a touch of titanium white. Oh This creates a muted, soft greenish tone that transitions smoothly between the color tones of the distant hills and the warmer tones of the foreground. I apply this with loose horizontal strokes, allowing the colors to blend naturally into the surrounding areas. As I continue layering, I make subtle adjustment. For lighter areas, I add more titanium white or yellow oxide, and for darker areas, I incorporate raw amber or ultramarine. This variation keeps the painting dynamic and prevents it from feeling flat. Throughout this process, I keep my brush strokes loose and expressive. My focus is on building the structure and tunnel balance while maintaining a natural flow. I frequently step back to ensure the composition feel cohesive and the colours transition seamlessly across the painting. 5. Developing Depth: The Second Layer: Good in our last lesson, we focused on blocking in the major shapes and creating the foundational layers of our landscape. With those layers in place, it's time to bring more life and focus to the painting. As you can see, the tree has faded under the paint from the last layer. That's perfectly normal when building up layers in a painting. Now, I'll quickly resketch the tree, keeping the structure simple and focusing only on the key shapes and lines. Remember, this doesn't need to be perfect or overly detailed. Now with the three sketch, I'll start defining it with darker tones to build its form and make it stand out against the background. Using a medium brush, I loosely paint the trunk and branches, letting the structure flow naturally. The branches extend outward, creating a sense of movement and balance. Next, I'll deep in the shadows on the ground beneath the tree, adding depth and grounding the composition. Notice how I use a mix of darker greens and browns to blend seamlessly with the earthy tones of the landscape. As I work, I am constantly referencing the photo to guide my shapes and values while keeping the brush strokes loose and expressive. I'll add smaller branches to enhance the tree's detail and natural flow. For this step, I am using kits paint brush, which I have customized by cutting its bristles to give it a unique shape. This allows me to achieve different textures and add variety to my strokes. I'll add a warmer sheet to the tree trunk to create depth and highlight the sunlight's effect on its surface. This subtle warmth brings the tree to life and makes it feel more connected to the surrounding scene. Next, I'll return to the ground shadows, darkening areas to add contrast and connect the tree to the landscape. This helps anchor the tree firmly in place, making it feel more integrated within the scene. When working on the foreground, I blend warmer and darker sheds using vertical brush strokes alongside horizontal ones. The warmer tones drew the viewers attention while the darker values and vertical strokes add a sense of depth, pulling the foreground closer. Together, these elements create a layered effect, enhancing the transition between the foreground and background and guiding the viewer's eye naturally through the composition. I am now shifting my focus to the distant halls in the background. I use a mix of cooler muted tones to push them further back, creating a sense of depth and atmospheric perspective. These softer sheets help to establish contrast with the warmer, more defined elements in the foreground. As I layer these tones, I am careful to use horizontal strokes to suggest the gentle curve to the Ls. This subtle detail adds dimension while keeping the background harmonious with the rest of the scene. Now I am turning my attention to the sky to enhance the contrast and create a more dramatic atmosphere. I'll add softer and lighter sheets. I'm using a light touch with my brush, focusing on creating smooth transitions between the colors. This lighter tone helps the tree stand out more clearly against the background, emphasizing it as the focal point. With each layer, I am carefully balancing the tones to ensure the spy complements the warmth of the ground and the darker shade of the tree. This step is all about creating harmony within the composition while enhancing the overall impact of the scene. I'm adding some depth to the landscape by painting little clusters of trees and bushes in the distance. I gently dab the brush to get a soft, natural feel. I'm keeping the details minimal here so they don't take attention away from the main tree. To soften the edges of the trees, I'm using my finger. This technique helps create a smoother transition and a more natural look. Occasionally, I wet my finger to make the blending even smoother. It's a simple trick that works beautifully for a dreamy effect. I'm also adding a few small trees along the horizon. They're simple, but they help guide your eye through the painting and toward the focal point. It's always good to take a step back and check how everything looks together. This helps me see if any areas feel too strong or too faint, so I can make adjustments for a more balanced and harmonious look. H 6. Refining The Mood: Third Layer Techniques: Let's bring more life to the landscape with the third layer. I'm starting by refining the ground, introducing warmer tones with soft delicate strokes. This adds a gentle glow to the field, balancing the color used in the sky and tree. Next, I am painting patches of grass with short vertical strokes. Varying the direction and colors gives the landscape a natural organic feel. These small details really enhance the texture and depth of the scene. I am adding a warm glow to the field using a mix of burnt sienna and wine to create a bitchy tone. I'm lightly brushing it into areas where sunlight would hit. Blending it softly to keep the look natural. This simple touch adds depth and warmth, making the field feel alive and balanced. Uh h as we finish up the foreground, I mix yellow oxide with a touch of white to give the field its final glow under the sun. I save this vibrant touch for the last to create contrast against the muted tones used throughout the painting. This adds warmth and brings the scene to life. Now you can take a moment to rest while watching me add some final touches to the field. Once that's done, we will move on to painting the tree leaves. Oh o. 7. Last Strokes: Defining The Tree And Scene: Now we're moving to the final step painting the tree leaves. Since the tree is our focal point, I'll use different sizes of brushes to add variety and texture. I'll work with a mix of greens, layering them to give the tree a full and lively appearance. This step will bring the tree to life, enhancing its presence and completing the scene. I am painting the tree leaves with light touches and expressive brush strokes. This approach adds movement and a natural feel to the tree. Okay Okay. He 8. Final Thoughts: As we wrap up this class, I hope you've enjoyed this journey of creating expressive landscapes, together with explored techniques to bring depth, mood, and light into our paintings. All while keeping the process loose and creative. Remember, painting is about expressing yourself and finding joy in the process, not just result. Each brush stroke you make tells a story, and every painting you create is a step toward discovering your unique style. I encourage you to keep practicing, experimenting, and pushing your boundaries. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. They're part of the process and often lead to unexpected beauty. Thank you for joining me in this class. I would love to see your work and hear about your experience. So feel free to share your creations until next time. Happy painting.