Value & Atmospheric Perspective Landscape Painting

Atmospheric Perspective 5 Simple Effects to Gain Atmospheric Perspective in Your Art How many times have you looked into the distance at a beautiful sunset, sunrise, or landscape in general? As much as we’d like to see all the details that we know exist among the miles, trees and signs blur and even take on a color that we know isn’t true. It’s common knowledge that the closer something is, the more details one can see, and the further away, the less distinct. What artists have also learned is that distance can be conveyed by the modulation of color. Distant mountains, for example, appear cooler–more blue–than their nearer counterparts. What causes this? Atmospheric perspective. Achieving atmospheric perspective in art requires an understanding of the relationship of the object and the viewer, which is also imperative for showing accurate linear perspective and a scattering of light. But what is linear perspective?

Atmospheric Perspective “The two kinds of perspective that artists use are linear and atmospheric (or aerial). Linear perspective uses lines and vanishing points to determine how much an object’s apparent size changes with distance. Atmospheric perspective deals with how the appearance of an object is affected by the space or atmosphere between it and the viewer. Italian Renaissance Master Leonardo da Vinci noticed this latter phenomenon and dubbed it ‘the perspective of disappearance.’” Used together, linear and aerial perspective can create the illusion of space and dimension in your art, whether a vast landscape or an intimate still life.” Diminishing size Diminishing detail Diminishing contrast Lightening of overall values Neutralization of color/possible shift to blue

good way to experiment with composition. In this class we'll spend time looking at reference photos of landscapes and discuss Composition and atmospheric perspective. Landscapes contain a lot of visual information and it is important to find the big shapes and the essential elements that are important and to eliminate the rest. Quick sketches with an ink pen are a good way to experiment with composition.

Value You will create 3 value studies using 3 different mediums -Charcoal -Watercolor -Acrylic Paint

Value using Color Once you are familiar with value we add an additional color(s) and paint a tonal study. This limited palette approach will allow you to become aware of the importance of value contrast and the subtle shift in tonality.