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A Walk in the Woods: Page 3

Author: Roger Elliot, Associate Editor

I have chosen a light green and with the paintbrush tool, in the next to smallest brush size, I lay in some grass over the dark brown. Be careful not to destroy all of your dark. Remember, the dark is all that we have to show the different planes in the grass. Work in small layers - one after another. After you have laid in the grass take the smudge tool and work the grass out to the texture you desire. Notice that there is little detail near the horizon and more detail as I move closer to the viewer. Don't light this up too much. We will likely revisit this area after we move along and get a better overview of what we need in the painting.

Those of you who have been painting along with me know that I love roads! So here is another! I have added a road and I have also completed the left side of the painting in much the same way as the right. I have made the road lighter as it goes into the horizon and it will get darker as we move forward. I've added a few highlights to the road but I keep them subtle at this point. We still have lots of canvas to use - we want to frame this road, so let's move on.

Now I have added 3 or 4 pine trees to the left side in order to push the eye of the viewer onto the road and therefore into the painting. Also, I have extended the road a bit further toward the front. I have allowed the road to wander to the left so that I can begin to get some style to the painting. I filled in the foliage on the left in the same manner as before. Notice that the road is getting darker as it comes forward. I have also allowed the grass to grow out into the road. I suspect that this old road is not traveled, and the grass is beginning to grow back across it.

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