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How I Painted This Dreamy Lavender Field In 10 Steps

Have you ever been mesmerized by the sight of dreamy Provençal lavender fields swaying in the breeze?  As someone who romanticizes most things, I'm drawn to these fields in ways I can't explain and feel compelled to immediately replicate them in art.  But, but...painting lavender fields was always a pet peeve of mine until I learned how to do it correctly.  Of course, there is no 'right' way, but I studied enough lavender field references to figure out what I was doing wrong. And you can too.  I recently painted the lavender fields that line the shores of Lake Kawaguchiko in Japan. Apparently, they also offer stunning views of Mt. Fuji on clear days. I wanted the composition of the painting to be clean, simple, and elegant, allowing only the shroud of lavender to shine through. Here are the colors I used to get it right: Colors for This Lavender Flower Field Painting: I used gouache colors by artistrybyaltenew to paint this artwork. You can use any basic gouache set...
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Easy Forest Painting For Beginners

Easy Forest Painting
Easy Forest Painting

Landscape forest paintings are enchanting, with a dreamlike quality that draws us in. For me, forests weren't the easiest subject to paint. I struggled a lot with it before I started using a few techniques that I'm sharing here with you all today, along with a step-by-step process. Here's the process for an easy forest painting:

But First, the Colors That Went Into This Easy Forest Painting:

  • For the Forest Floor: A mix of Sienna Brown, Burnt Umber, Black, White
  • For the Forest Background: Teal + White or Light Green + White
  • Dark Foliage: Yellow + Black
  • Mid-tone Foliage: Yellow + Black + White (only take a little)
  • Light Foliage: Yellow + Black + White

Forest Painting Process


Layering is Key

Painting a forest is not a straightforward process. It's a multi-layered process, so be prepared to put in some time...and patience. 

As you can see in the process above, I didn't paint all the trees and the shrubbery all at once, because this would have made it completely one-dimensional and boring. 

First, I painted the background in a light green, which established the overall tone of the painting. Then, in a slightly darker tone than the original background, I added shrubbery and light-colored tree trunks and branches.

After this layer dried, I repeated the process with progressively darker color tones. This way, I was able to depict a dense forest. You can follow this simple layering formula:

Background>Shrubbery>Trees>Wait to Dry>Repeat x 2

Don't Paint All Trees The Same

Nothing in nature is exactly the same. Make certain that this philosophy extends to your painting as well. 

While drawing similar trees is tempting, it causes the painting to appear unrealistic. Instead, you want to paint trees of all shapes and sizes --- standing upright, slanting over others, with branches, without branches...you get the drift.

Use a Fan Brush

Photo by laura adai on Unsplash

I personally don't find much use for a fan brush except when I work on forest paintings. 

Depicting shrubbery in a forest can be a demanding task that can leave you impatient and frustrated. Imagine painting the foliage with a single round brush. 

Sounds annoying right? 

Use a fan brush to speed up this process. The brush's design is perfect for placing random strokes that depict unruly foliage, like in a forest. 

If you don't have a fan brush, pull out an old brush with frayed bristles. Works like a charm!

Don't Give Up!

I'll be honest with you: the first few steps of a landscape forest painting are admittedly ugly, and there may be times when you might feel that you're not getting anywhere with your painting. 

I implore you to push through this feeling and persevere. Every artwork has ugly stages, and that's okay. Just be patient, keep layering, and you'll see the painting come together soon.

I'd love to see your results if you try this dramatic sunset painting using the tips above! Post it on your Instagram account and tag me, artbyadva and I'll share your work on my story. 💓

Advaita Raut is a self-taught landscape artist who documents her art regularly on Instagram. You can also purchase her original artwork from her Etsy Shop.

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