Acrylic Landscape Painting Step by Step

Acrylic Landscape Painting Step by Step

The following is an acrylic landscape painting step by step in a 4 part video series created by Artist Will Kemp of Will Kemp Art School.  This video series will demonstrate how to paint a beautiful landscape painting in acrylics.

You can download a copy of the photograph Will uses in this demo from his Website here.  The same page will also list the materials that you need to paint along with Will.

Part 1

In “Acrylic Landscape Painting Techniques – Lessons for Beginners Part 1,” Will Kemp from the Will Kemp Art School walks viewers through the initial steps of creating an acrylic landscape painting. He starts by setting an objective to teach viewers how to paint a landscape from a photograph, which is downloadable from his website. Will provides a comprehensive list of materials needed for the painting, including specific colors and brushes.

Will emphasizes the importance of preparing the canvas with a colored ground to facilitate the painting process. He illustrates how to sketch the basic shapes of the landscape on the canvas using a 3B pencil, chosen for its optimal balance of visibility and erasability without smudging.

Next, Will guides viewers in assessing the tones within the photograph by suggesting they squint to blur the image. This technique helps distinguish the darker and lighter areas, simplifying the image into basic structural elements. Will identifies the darkest area of the landscape and begins painting it with burnt umber. Throughout the demonstration, he offered tips on brush handling for precision and stressed the importance of proper brush care to prevent acrylics from drying and damaging the brush. This lesson is aimed at guiding beginners through the foundational steps of acrylic landscape painting, focusing on canvas preparation, layout, and the initial painting phase, with an emphasis on understanding tones and effective brush management.

Part 2

In “Acrylic Landscape Painting Techniques Lessons for Beginners Part 2,” Will Kemp continues his instructional series on acrylic painting, focusing on how to paint clouds with acrylics. He begins by reviewing the progress made in the first lesson, emphasizing the importance of establishing the darkest and lightest areas of the painting. Will introduces the colors pre-mixed in a previous session, directing viewers to another video if they need guidance on color mixing for landscape painting.

With a focus on a “painterly” approach, Will encourages beginners to block in colors to build confidence and have fun with the process. Using a Filbert brush (although a flat brush would also suffice), he demonstrates how to apply the first blue color mixed for the sky. He advises against getting too detailed or precious about any part of the painting, suggesting a more general application of paint to express freedom and personality in the work.

Will shows how to soften edges with water, especially in areas where the sky transitions to lighter tones. This ensures the paint is not applied to thickly and allows for easier adjustments later. He explains the technique for achieving a soft blend, ideal for creating the appearance of clouds, by working with the paint while it’s still wet. This method avoids harsh edges and allows for a smoother transition between colors.

Throughout the lesson, Will emphasizes the importance of not washing the brush between every single stroke, especially when the tones are similar. He demonstrates how to blend colors directly on the canvas and on a piece of kitchen roll off-camera, which helps keep the brush clean and ready for different colors. This part of the series is designed to help beginners understand the basics of painting skies and clouds, making landscape painting more dynamic and engaging.

Part 3

In “Acrylic Landscape Painting Techniques Lessons for Beginners Part 3,” Will Kemp continues his instructional series on painting with acrylics, focusing on how to paint water. He begins by introducing a creamy color mix for the landscape, occasionally using his finger to blend edges for a smoother transition. Will notes the importance of darkening the top corners of a landscape painting to draw the viewer’s focus to the center.

For the sea area, Will mixes a simple color using ultramarine blue and white, explaining how to reflect the sky’s color onto the water for a realistic effect. He demonstrates how to mix colors directly on the canvas to create a greenish tinge in the water, mirroring the surrounding landscape’s hues.

Will then goes to paint reflected light from the clouds onto the beach, using a mix of premixed cloud color and white to cool down and lighten the area. He emphasizes the value of not fully covering the underlying layers to maintain texture, mainly when depicting sand. He uses a darker mix for darker areas, and for areas requiring a bluer tone, he mixes in lighter purple and blue.

Concluding the session, Will suggests adding pure blue and crimson red to enhance the sky’s pink tones and darkening the corners to finalize the painting. This part of the series equips beginners with techniques for painting water and reflections, crucial for creating dynamic and engaging acrylic landscapes.

 Part 4

In “Acrylic Landscape Painting Techniques Lessons for Beginners Part 4,” by Will Kemp, viewers are guided through the finishing touches needed to complete their acrylic landscape painting. Will starts by mixing ultramarine blue and alizarin crimson to create a vibrant pink for the sky, emphasizing the importance of starting with white and gradually adding crimson to achieve the desired hue.
He demonstrates how to blend the edges of the pink to soften them and uses a blue color previously mixed for the sea to add variety and depth to the painting. Will highlights the importance of adjusting colors as needed, showing how to lighten areas with white to integrate bright pink touches, adding a dynamic element to the composition.

Will also address common painting mistakes, such as using the wrong color for a section, and shows how to correct them by mixing the appropriate colors on the canvas. He then focuses on deepening the shadows and adding contrast, using a mix of burnt umber and ultramarine blue to create a dark black for the base of the land, enhancing the painting’s depth.

To add highlights and texture, Will uses a dry brush technique that allows the canvas’s texture to show through, contributing to a painterly effect. He encourages embracing the brush marks and movement within the painting, suggesting that not every painting needs to be hyper-realistic to be successful.
This final part of the series equips beginners with the skills to finish their acrylic landscape painting with confidence and artistic flair.

About the Artist

I’m Will Kemp, I’m an award-winning professional artist and teacher.

Prior to painting full time I’ve worked in Museums, taught in schools, set up and ran my own gallery for 5 years and have taught hundreds of people to paint and draw.

I’ve studied Classical atelier techniques in Italy alongside conceptual art at the Tate Gallery, London.

I’ve painted in watercolours, acrylics and oils and my styles have ranged from abstract; impressionistic to realistic portraiture in order to realise my own personal style.

I’ll teach you to become selective with composition, demystify colour mixing, achieve perfect perspective, and see the benefits of dramatic use of contra
st.

I’m looking forward to you joining me on your creative journey of discovery

www.willkempartschool.com