Large Painting

I am about to undertake a large painting in oil. It is 4 ft by 2 ft horizontal. I want to paint Mount Rainier in Washington. The mountain is off to the right, not taking up the whole painting. Any suggestions how to go about this? I have printed out some photos and taped them together so far.

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Comment by Stuart J. Gourlay on April 15, 2012 at 1:34: Sharon, you'll be ready to take on a mural after all this! Imagine how Michelangelo felt when the Pope told him he wanted the whole Cistine Chapel done! Stu

Comment by Sharon Casavant on April 14, 2012 at 23:38: I didn't realize how hard it is, getting the perspective right. For instance, I wish I would have made the fir trees on the left larger! But, oh well, I will just make a larger one on the right side, in front of the medium ones. And I want to add in a yellowish glow in the peach colored sky areas. etc... fun!

Comment by Stuart J. Gourlay on April 14, 2012 at 15:52: Looking good , Sharon. Stu

Comment by Sharon Casavant on April 14, 2012 at 11:24: Well, this is how much I got done today, not too much. Slow going, but liking it. Of course, it is only basics down for now, need to add highlights, more color, etc...

Comment by Stuart J. Gourlay on April 12, 2012 at 2:19: Sharon, I am looking forward to the next post (with your painting, of course). Stu

Comment by Sharon Casavant on April 12, 2012 at 2:03: I am still painting, but haven't gotten very far. Will post again later today with a photo, maybe tmw...

Comment by Sharon Casavant on March 10, 2012 at 3:59: OH, yea... can't wait to get involved in it again! Next week...

Comment by Stuart J. Gourlay on March 9, 2012 at 15:43: Sharon, tree trunks are darker at the bottom (because the light cannot get through the thick branches) and lighter near the top and at the tips of the branches. Because they make up so little of the mass of the tree, your overall mass of trees will be dark. Plus you don't want to show every trunk and branch; leave it to the viewere imagination. Also put a little contrasting color in the bark--the tree is dark green, the bark will have a little orange tint to it (except redwood bark which would be red orange). Burnt Sienna or transparent red oxide work well and can be dulled down with a little ultramarine blue. Dead trees are gray, but you have some pink and orange in your sky because of the time of day; bounce a little of that color into the gray dead trees. Stu

Comment by Sharon Casavant on March 9, 2012 at 9:40: I understand that. But how do you paint a dead tree dark? It is gray. I can't wait for it to all come together, only in time. Flowers are in the foreground, too. I have to be careful not to go too dark, until I get to the vertical trees... thanks for the advise!

Comment by Stuart J. Gourlay on March 9, 2012 at 4:26: Sharon, your darks will be your foreground vertical elements, the fir trees. In John Carlson's classic book on landscape painting he describes the lightest value plane as the sky, the next lightest the flat ground (or water) then the slanted objects (mountains) and last the vertical objects. White buildings, snow and white water are exceptions and will be lighter than the sky. Stu