plate no. 4204
Untitled (Mountain Landscape)
suitable for beginners
Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in layering colors with pastels and creating depth through atmospheric perspective. It also demonstrates how to simplify a complex landscape into basic shapes and colors.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
4
value contrast
3
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 4 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the mountains and sky.
- step 02
Apply a base layer of grey pastel to the entire paper.
- step 03
Begin blocking in the sky with light blue and white pastels, blending lightly.
- step 04
Add the snow-capped mountains with white and yellow pastels, defining the shadows with light blue.
- step 05
Layer the hills with pink, orange, blue, and green pastels, creating variations in color and tone.
- step 06
Use darker shades of pastel to define the shadows and contours of the hills.
- step 07
Add subtle highlights to the foreground hills with lighter shades of green and white.
- step 08
Blend the colors softly to create a hazy, atmospheric effect.
color palette
primary · light blue · white · pink · grey
secondary · orange · green · yellow
Mix light blue and white for the sky. Combine pink and orange for the hills. Use blue and green to create shadows on the mountains.
techniques
- ·pastel layering
- ·blending
- ·atmospheric perspective
- ·color mixing
- ·scumbling
common pitfalls
- →Over-blending, resulting in muddy colors.
- →Using too much pressure, making the colors too intense.
- →Ignoring the subtle color variations in the landscape.
- →Not establishing a clear sense of depth.
materials
surface · Pastel paper (toned grey)
required
- ·Soft pastels
- ·Pastel paper (toned grey)
- ·Blending stumps or tortillions
- ·Kneaded eraser
- ·Fixative spray
- ·Drawing board
- ·Pencil
optional
- ·Workable fixative
- ·Pastel pencils
Use soft pastels for easy blending. Toned paper will help to unify the colors and create a harmonious effect.
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