Many times Artists will use a Reference Photo, in lieu of “Plein-Air.” A term coined during the Impressionist Era when the invention of paint, in tubes, allowed an Artist to paint outdoors. When color photography made locations, otherwise unaccessible to artists, available in books known as Artists Photo Reference books it opened up the possibility of reproducing landscapes at an artist’s fingertips. Nowadays, the internet is a treasure trove of images which can be used as reference photos. An artist can choose to render the image exactly how it is, or use “creative license” to enhance or modify the reference photo by collecting multiple reference photos to incorporate into their piece or just their imagination if they have experience.
This is my Reference Photo for “Evening Mountainsides.”
The supplies needed for this piece: 9×12 Smooth Bristol Paper, pencil, kneaded eraser, Tombow Mono Elastomer round, Kohl-I-Noor Woodless Colored Pencils (24 set), Prismacolor Colorless Blender, Sharpener, and tissue paper.
Step 1: Begin a contour drawing of landscape. See pictures below
After you pick up the extra graphite, we will begin coloring on Part 2 of Evening Mountainside.