Mountain and such

[Bayou13]

Hello Guys,

Well, I thought I would do one with a Hiker coming up over the ridge, but my brain is not helping me.

I want the hiker to be in the foreground, but I still want the valley to look remote.

Anyway, I'm having trouble imaging the figure in my mind so that I can put paint to the canvas. I'm probably not explaining this properly, but any suggestions would be appreciated.

Rick

[Paintbrush74]

Have you checked into the figure section of the reference image library? They have loads of images and may have a figure reference you could use.

To get the look of distance, you may want to make the river wider in the foreground and more narrow, perhaps disappearing here and there, as it goes further back. Sharpening the foreground a little would also aid in the look of distance. It should really be clearer and more detailed than the background.

You are doing a good job; it's a poetic landscape. Good work with the ethereal quality of the clouds.

[susme48]

Love it so far, Rick!!

[OkeeKat]

Looks great Rick!! Agree regarding wideing the river a tad more on the far left just that bit going around the last left mountain.. and detail the foreground grass.. then the hiker in the far right be just perfect!! Love the mountains and clouds!!

[arl]

I love what you have achieved. Great atmospheric perspective.

[TxAggieDarlin]

It is just beautiful so far....

[shunter]

Right now, you have a very appealing scene. The focus moves from the lake, to the sharp peak, to the far peak with the clouds. I wonder if adding a figure might hurt the painting? I speak from experience (removed figures as suggested by others). Maybe keep this one remote then do another (boy, is that asking alot) Good luck.

Steve

[Thomas Greaves]

Love the atmospheric quality of this piece, that blending is just great.
I don't think the mid-ground highlights are working for you though, I think they contrast too much with their surroundings, and their complex composition gives the impression that they are closer than you want.
Good luck with your hiker. You can keep him in the foreground, and by keeping him pretty small he will help to create the sense of scale.

[Vanche]

I kind of like it the way it is.I am afraid a hiker will distract the attention away from the beautiful landscape.I think you did a great job on it.

[Bayou13]

Hello Guys,

Thanks for the comments and suggestions. I really appreciate it.

I think I have made some progress. I totally removed the river from the valley. I just could not seem to make it work. I added indications of pine trees in the midground and added a small cabin. I think this fixes my perspective problem

Now all I need to do if figure out how to implement my hiker, (or decide to leave him out).

Rick

[amotwell]

Now that you have a cabin, I personally don't think you need the hiker, but that's just my opinion. I really like the drama and . . . (looking for the right word) volume (?) you have going!

[Paintbrush74]

I agree with amotwell on the hiker. If you do add the hiker, I think you'd need to make him pretty small, considering the size of the trees in the lower left. You don't want the hiker to be larger than the trees. And it looks that no matter where the hiker goes, the trees will be closer to the viewer, and therefore, much larger.

[LavenderFrost]

The new version is much improved. I like it as it is, without a hiker.

[~~Kathleen]

I'd consider it finished.
Looks like the hiker is on the porch of the cabin sipping a lemonade!:wave:
~~Kathleen

[Artchrispy]

Hey Rick. I just caught up with this thread. One possible option is to put the hiker in the extreme foreground. Please forgive my crude photoshop attempt. The landscape is very pretty as is.

[kwg]

I would quit and sign it. The most difficult thing is to decide when enough is enough. When is it finished? I was taught "less is more" and to intentionally leave some areas "unfinished" (like you've done in the foreground) to let the viewer's eye fill in. I really like it as it is. I also really liked the first version. Maybe plan a new piece starting with a thumbnail drawing to decide where to put a figure, and create your painting based on the sketch. It's nice work!

[barb8j]

I really love the improvements that you made! It is wonderful without the hiker so I think I would call it done also. Great job!