The role played by a natural setting (sky, sea, field, prairie, etc.) depends on the place that it occupies in the composition, but also on the treatment that it receives.
What You Need to Know:
- The more lively the sky or the sea, the more it will overshadow other points of interest
- Conversely, a calm sea or a peaceful prairie should be contrasted with a strong subject, or your work risks appearing bland.
- Grant natural settings the place they deserve: It’s useless to plan two-thirds of the composition as sky if nothing is happening there!
1. Animate the Sky
- Create a tonal range that harmonizes with the ambient luminosity: from pink to blue at dawn, from gray to purplish for bad weather, etc. Define a maximum of intermediate tones.
- Harmonize the clouds: white to gray on a blue sky, turning almost purple for a sunset, etc.
- In a dramatic landscape that doesn’t actively seek realism, dare imaginary shades, contrasting them violently against the sky.
- Work with volume: through impasto and shade, but also by reserving clear shades for the sections exposed to the light (behind a cloud, the sun is always there!).
2. Make Water Come Alive
- Beyond its treatment (line drawing, color, transparency…), make an effort to set the scene: cascading waterfalls, foaming waves breaking on the rocks, etc.
- The definition of reflections of boats and other structures is an excellent indication: a calm sea requires a good deal of clean lines. Conversely, a few imprecise brushstrokes suggest agitated seas.
- Position your subjects consequently: on a stormy sea, yachts heave-to.
3. Create a Breeze
Wheat flattened by the wind, branches on an impossible trajectory… Vegetation vibrates under the wind’s influence.
- Play with the slanting of stems, prioritize oblique elements… and transform ordinary pastures into graphic elements that are favorable to guiding the eye towards your points of interest!
