A few weeks ago, I tried my hand at Blue Winter, particularly because of the way the trees in the mountains transitioned through the mid-ground into the foreground. That's a transition I am hoping to practice more moving forward. I took a little bit of artistic license with this composition in order to work on that same type of transition.
Comments
Another fantastic painting! I think you did a great job with the mountain to tree transition, it's very effective. Lovely mountains as well!
Dracula, it worked very well! I think transition area is very realistic. Your details are amazing! I really would like to see it in real not just the photo!
Beautiful painting!
Another great work Dracula, really fantastic, the transition is very realistic,the depth you created is outstanding, well done!
Breathtaking!! Reminded me at some part of the Andes, Peruvian mountains yet few pines live there.
I love the way you do your evergreens! What are your suggestions for painting trees?
@rovingmichigander - Thank you! For evergreen trees in the the foreground and near middle-ground I start them in the usual way with a dark mixture on the fan brush (I tend to use the smaller Bob Ross fan brush) and lay in the basic shape.
Then I usually use a clean palette knife to cut into the paint at the top, creating a straight, thin trunk point.
Next, I use a mixture of browns and white on the knife to make some woody trunk shapes. A little here and there works fine since I then go back over parts of the tree with a lighter green color on a filbert brush to make subtle highlights on the tree, following the direction of the light source in the composition.
Finally, I use the very tips of a bristle dagger brush to gently coax out needle clusters from the edge of the branches. I think this last step helps give the trees a finished look.
When it comes to more distant evergreens, I am still experimenting and would love to hear how other people approach them!
wow this is fantastic!
Blimey Dracula your trees are superb, I just slap it on, I really must take more care. Do you find the filbert gives you more control than the fan brush? Sometimes the fan brush feels like painting with a bunch of spiders legs and the branches take on the shape of the brush too much. I am probably holding it incorrectly.
I haven't heard of a bristle dagger, but I might have to get one seeing how well it works on trees!
Those trees are incredible. I came here to ask how you did them and then saw your description. Thanks for taking the time to write that out.
The trees really look stunning, among everything else they frame in the background. Thank you for sharing the step-by-step process. It gives a great deal of insight into the technique and brushes used. I think the most important tools here are your discipline, focus and patience! Amazing work.
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Beautiful job!