Introduction

Hello! Welcome, here once again with a new tutorial on how to paint landscapes. When creating an illustration, we have a beautiful idea in mind to capture, but when it comes to execution, the illustration we make doesn't captivate. Why is that? The fault could lie with incorrect composition or bad colors. These are the topics that will be addressed in this tutorial to help you paint landscapes that captivate the viewer.

► Composition

If the horizon is in focus (which is normal in landscapes), it's convenient to place it so that it crosses the canvas at one-third or two-thirds of the height. In other words, it's not good for the line of sight to be in the middle of the canvas, and it should move up or down depending on your level of interest above or below the line of sight. To guide us in this direction, we use the golden section or...

 

• RULE OF THIRDS

 

The main object should not be placed in the middle, but rather shifted from one of the corners. This solution is called the golden rule or simplified to the rule of thirds. According to this rule, we can divide the image into two-thirds vertically and horizontally, and place important elements where they intersect. The intersections are the greatest points of interest. In illustration, the goal is to align elements along these central lines.

In practice, the rule of thirds is shown in the following illustration. The moon and the pyramid are more or less at the intersections, in the center, where the greatest point of interest lies.

Clip Studio Paint has a section with Ruler tools, which are very useful when creating perspective references.

• LANDSCAPE FRAMING

 

If the main object in the image is far away, it is recommended to complement it. This is the moment for framing. Some areas can be added around the main object, which are usually trees in nature. In the following example, I added trees to the illustration that adorn the corner, in this way, attention is focused only on the center.

• LINES THAT GUIDE THE GAZE

 

All lines are a very important element in a landscape that, otherwise, has a random arrangement. From a compositional point of view, rivers, roads, furrows in the field, balanced mountain slopes, or any geometric object you can imagine are interesting.

S-lines are composed of two or more turns and, if they start from the edge of the illustration, which is very common, they guide the viewer's gaze from the edge to the end of the line. Another type are converging lines that generally extend to the horizon. Their convergence, and thus their effect. As in the previous case, the viewer automatically follows them, and their gaze slides to their intersection.

• REFLECTION ON THE WATER SURFACE

 

Illustrations with reflections on the water surface often break the first rule about the horizon being in the first third of the height. In many cases, it is placed in the center, which emphasizes symmetry, as both halves of the photo, the upper and lower, are very similar.

Each of the rules here is given its own section, but this does not mean they are mutually exclusive. For example, this last illustration of the reflection on the water surface can be easily combined with framing, achieving a different plane.

 

 

► Color Harmony

From a color perspective, we tend to expect to find a series of combinations that, innately, we like more than others. In this way, when a multitude of similar colors appear in the scene, we will feel more pleasant than when there is a confusing mix of several disparate colors. Finally, when the colors we use are balanced from an analogous point of view, they are pleasing. It should be clear that in both the case of complementary and analogous colors, the result is satisfactory for the viewer.

 

• ANALOGOUS COLORS

 

We will take the color wheel into account and quickly find that there are colors that are relatively similar around a secondary color, for example: orange, yellow-orange, and red-orange. It is really important to value this color consistency, as, positioned as they are on the color wheel, it can be the most frequent harmonious combination of colors in nature.

Analogous colors are neighbors on the color wheel that share a common hue. This situation is very frequent in nature, much more so than complementarity. If you want to use analogous colors, you just have to follow a clockwise or counterclockwise direction when choosing colors, as these are the consecutive colors from the starting point.

• COMPLEMENTARY COLORS

 

If we observe the color wheel and locate the primary colors, remember: in RGB they are red, green, and blue, we will have to draw a line that crosses the center of the circle until it meets the color on the other side, which will always be a secondary color. Complementary colors provoke psychophysical reactions in humans through simultaneous contrast and successive contrast.

Successive contrast consists of the predisposition of our vision by which exposure to a primary color induces us to perceive its complementary, this isn't convoluted, right? An example: if we see a shape of a primary color, upon looking away and gazing at a white surface, we will see that shape in negative but in its complementary color, better, right? Simultaneous contrast is much simpler.

► Guiding the Gaze

The illustrator's mission is to transmit what they saw in their mind to reality. And to achieve this, they must know how to explain what they want.

 

• COLOR CONTRAST

 

Using a color that contrasts with the predominant colors of the composition undoubtedly attracts the viewer's eye. The image below is a great example; for the central tree, a more vibrant color was selected than most of the background elements; the result will be that the viewer's eyes will focus on this point.

• DEPTH OF SIZE

 

Varying sizes helps us to focus an illustration. Small, medium, and large shapes are parameters we use to know how close or far an object is. Larger things are closer, and smaller things are in the distance.

Clip Studio's deformation tool is very versatile; it not only has the option to reduce or enlarge the size, but it can also modify its structure and angle according to your desired perspective.

• BOKEH EFFECT

 

With the bokeh effect, we can achieve a visual blur effect. When taking photographs, objects close to the lens or far away can be blurred so that the main focus is a particular object. You can do the same in your illustrations using Clip Studio's blur tool. Specifically, "Gaussian Blur" is used to create this effect.

Clip Studio has various types of blur found in the Filters section; Gaussian Blur is the one I use most often when blurring or creating a sense of glow.

► Perspective

• ILLUSTRATION PLANES

 

Planes are the most important for constructing any scene. Planes help us to construct the elements of the illustration in an orderly fashion and in order of importance. The closest plane from the viewer's perspective is called the Foreground; the second closest is called the "Midground," and the third furthest "Background." There can be more or fewer planes than these, but this simple structure is the most common and easy to show.

Differences in size, color, and texture of the planes give the sensation of depth and distance. It is important to consider which depth plane the focal point will be drawn on, so that the planes before and after the center of interest guide you to it.

It is advisable to think in terms of layers not only conceptually, but also when working on those layers contemplated in the drawing, to physically separate them into drawing layers. This allows us to correct errors without damaging other parts of the illustration.

• ATMOSPHERIC PERSPECTIVE

 

Atmospheric perspective indicates how an object recedes from the viewer; as it moves away, we see this object with reduced clarity, value, and saturation. Remote objects appear to have a cooler temperature. Basically, it looks like this: foreground colors are very saturated and dark, while those in the background lose saturation and become lighter.

 

Objects that are in the furthest part will have the color corresponding to the atmosphere; the furthest colors are light and desaturated, and a large part of the object can even be lost in the background color.

Farewell

Well, nothing more to say, thank you for making it this far! ପ(๑•̀ुᴗ•̀ू)* ॣ৳৸ᵃᵑᵏ Ꮍ৹੫ᵎ *ॣ

See you next time ( •⌄• ू )✧