How To Draw A River Landscape

How to Depict Landscapes

Why Sketch and Draw?

Whenever I paint a landscape I never just get straight into it, I e'er exercise some planning kickoff and the planning always begins with my sketchbook. But why sketch and draw, why not just start painting? Well there is a simple answer, if you go straight into a studio painting it'south likely yous'll run into trouble with the limerick.

I've seen many terrible landscape paintings in art galleries (some with high price tags) considering of bad compositions due to lack of prior planning. This problem could have been alleviated had these artists carried out some pencil sketches first to design their compositions.

Planning a painting in your sketchbook showtime is an of import step in the painting process in my stance. You wouldn't kickoff building a house with no foundations or prior plans and drawings, it'southward the same when planning a painting. Too which cartoon and sketching is fun.

Getting Started With Sketching

The nearly obvious materials you'll need are some pencils and a sketchbook, but there is a little more to information technology than that. I use a range of graphite pencils to achieve calorie-free and nighttime tones inside my drawings. I besides utilize a arts and crafts knife and sandpaper in social club to sharpen my pencils.

Materials

Here is a list of basic materials you will need:

Sketchbook (A3 is ideal)
Pencils (4H, 2H, HB, 2B and 4B are ideal)
Craft knife (for sharpening your pencils)
Sandpaper (for filing the graphite of your pencils)
Eraser
Ruler (optional)

Pencil Mark Fundamentals

When information technology comes to using pencils at that place are many dissimilar methods to achieving successful pencil drawings but the method that I like and that works for me is the Ted Kautzky 'broad stroke' method of cartoon. I learned his method from his book which I'd thoroughly recommend called 'The Ted Kautzky Pencil Book'.

I personally like this particular cartoon style.

The broad stroke method allows you to create a multifariousness of uniform wide marks that are very constructive at communicating realistic forms that you lot would find in landscapes. This is accomplished past sharpening your pencil and so filing the graphite (lead) at an angle to form a flat wedge that is held evenly against the paper.

When sketching the pencil itself must exist held at an angle and marks made evenly, not also quickly but not too slowly either. This is depicted in the image below.

Filing your pencils at an angle to achieve broad stroke marks. — Filing your pencils at an bending to accomplish wide stroke marks.

How to Acuminate Your Pencils

The pencil is beginning sharpened with a craft knife to leave about 1/4" of graphite exposed. This should then be filed on some sandpaper to for a flat wedge. The wide strokes are fabricated with the flat side of the wedge.

The lead of the pencil is filed on sandpaper to form a flat wedge — The lead of the pencil is filed on sandpaper to grade a flat wedge

Filing your pencil on the sandpaper allows you to achieve the broad stroke marks as seen in the image beneath.

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 20.47.39 copy.png

The tip of the lead can exist used for fine marks but proceed in mind that filing it again on the sandpaper perchance needed if further broad strokes are required within the drawing or sketch.

Achieving Depth in Your Pencil Drawings

Whenever I sketch landscapes for potential paintings I always think near the tonality of the drawing and the relationships between light and shadow so I tin can create depth and a feeling of space within the sketch. In order to conduct this out I use v different graphite pencils which include 4H, 2H, HB, 2B and 4B. These pencils allow me to accomplish a range of tones.

I use hard pencils such equally 4H and 2H for distant objects every bit the pencil marking is tonally lighter. For dark tones and shadows I utilise softer pencils such as 2B and 4B. I am more than probable to employ these pencils to shade in objects in the foreground where dark shadows occur.

I use hard pencils to achieve the lighter values for the distant mountains. For the dark shadows in the foreground I use a soft 4B pencil.

Planning Your Composition

Whenever I plan a limerick whether it exist for a painting or for a beautifully finished pencil drawing, I always outset with small thumbnail pencil sketches. These thumbnails should be quick sketches to find out how your composition idea will piece of work.

Whenever I do thumbnail sketches I spend about two to three minutes on each sketch. I too make the sketches proportional to the size of the terminal sketch or sheet I am going to piece of work on.

Quick two minute thumbnail sketches to plan some composition ideas. — Quick two minute thumbnail sketches to program some composition ideas.

Once I take a skillful idea for a composition after doing a series of thumbnail sketches, I do the final pencil sketch. I tin can then apply the pencil sketch to refer to when I start a painting.

Pencil Sketch and thumbnail sketches of the south coast cliffs of Guernsey. — Pencil Sketch and thumbnail sketches of the s coast cliffs of Guernsey.

Drawing Demonstration #ane - Rolling Hills of Northland, New Zealand

This drawing features a grouping of pine copse surrounded by rolling hills that are so characteristic of the region of Northland in northern New Zealand. It is my intention to do a studio painting of this scene.

This is one of the reference photos I have used for the pencil cartoon.

In my composition blueprint I have made the group of trees the focal area and I have moved the tree closest on the left further forward in the composition every bit you will meet in the demonstration. I have made the group mass of copse bigger.

I am going to be doing a colour study of this scene first so I have made my final sketch the exact aforementioned size as the linen panel I will pigment on, which measures eight" x 10".

I sketch out the design faintly with a 4H pencil. One time I am happy with the proportions I can use the broad stroke pencil method to shade in the various zones within the scene.

Now that I am happy with the sketch outline I start shading in the darkest values inside the scene. I offset with the distant copse which are a mid-tone so I apply a 2H pencil which produces a light mark.

For the trees in the mid-ground I use a HB pencil as the value is darker than the trees in the altitude. The HB pencil produces a darker mark than the 2H pencil.

The shadows in the pines copse in the foreground have the darkest values in the scene and for this I use a 4B pencil. The graphite is soft and information technology produces a night mark. The darkest shadows will be found in the foreground of the landscape and so in order to communicate depth in the cartoon this must be taken into account.

Note the broad stroke marks are excellent for depicting pine tree foliage. — Note the broad stroke marks are first-class for depicting pine tree foliage.

I employ an HB pencil for most of this drawing especially for the trees and grass in the mid-basis.

I use 2H pencil for the pine tree foliage thats in full sun as pine trees are generally tonally dark and in this case are the darkest values inside the landscape.

As grass is light in value I leave the grass with the white newspaper exposed, nevertheless I add a few suggestions of clumps of grass. I use a 4H pencil to lightly shade in the grass in the distant hills likewise equally the base of the clouds.

Rolling Hills Northalnd - pencil drawing - Samuel Earp.jpeg

Drawing Demonstration #2 - Shotover River, Queenstown, New Zealand

This drawing features a mountain river valley surrounded by broadleaf trees. Ane of the reference photos I am using (seen below) depicts by take chances a naturally pleasing composition so didn't need to change information technology besides much when I was designing the drawing.

Over again I volition use this drawing as reference for a colour study so a final studio painting.

Tucker Beach, Shotover River, Queenstown, New Zealand.

In this limerick I accept incorporated a design called a 'steelyard' composition where the trees on the left establish a large weight in the scene that is balanced on a theoretical fulcrum past the smaller pine trees in the mid-ground on the right.

For more information on landscape composition designs including the steelyard composition check out my blog postal service on 'five Composition Ideas for Mural Paintings'

Equally with the Rolling Hills, Northland drawing, I faintly sketch of the composition with a 4H pencil. This is a hard pencil so it produces a light marker.

Before I start shading in the cartoon I determine where my dark values are. They are to exist found in the cloud shadows, the distant mount, the shadows in the mid-footing copse and the trees in the foreground.

I utilize a 4H pencil to draw and shade the clouds and a 2H pencil for the distant mount.

I use a HB pencil for the mid-ground copse and use a 4B pencil for the shadows of the trees in the foreground.

I finish the drawing by shading in the prominent shadow inside the poplar tree in the foreground. This is the darkest value in the cartoon and so I use a 4B pencil.

The grass is light in value so I use a 4H pencil, I as well utilize a 4H for the leaf that is in light within the foreground copse.

With a 4B pencil I add in a few final details such as the proposition of clumps of grass and bits of woods.

Shotover River - Queenstown - New Zealand - pencil drawing - Samuel Earp.jpeg

Thanks for reading 😊

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References

Ted Kautzky, 1979. The Ted Kautzky Pencil Book. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.

Edgar Payne, 1941. Composition of Outdoor Painting. DeRu's Fine Arts.

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