1. DRAW SHAPES
- Establish your horizon
- Establish 3 or 4 simple, main masses in varying sizes
- Watch your perspective
- Overlap some masses
2. MASS VALUES
- Find either your darkest or lightest value, compare your midtones to that
- Average the colors in the masses, keep them simple
- As colors recede, they get lighter and cooler
- At this stage, keep the colors thin. Mass in darks thin, save thick paint for lights.
Don’t overdue it.
3. ADJUST COLOR
- Pay close attention to subtle color shifts, nature is grayer than you think
- Gray color with its complement
- Compare your colors to what is around them
- Look for transitions in warm to cool
- Small strokes of rich color can make a painting look colorful
4. WORK EDGES
- Hard edges attract attention, use them to your advantage, keep them at the center
- of interest
- Soften edges as they recede and as form turns
- Compare edges where masses meet
5. NOW THE HARD PART
- Don’t overpaint, leave it alone.