What is the best method for learning to draw landscapes?

Question

(I know taking classes is the best thing to do but aside from that ) I want to draw landscapes (rivers, trees, rocks, etc) but i don't even know how to start (landscapes are very complicated and detailed). So, what is the best method to learn to draw landscapes ??(books, just looking, taking pictures and tracing.....?) (please don't say practice, i know that, what I mean is how) thanks a lot!!!!!!!!! bye!!

Answer 1

Try plein air drawing. (Drawing outside from life). Especially since it's summer & probably decent weather. What I would also suggest is start out with the horizon line, no matter what you are drawing, put a rough sketch of a hor' line where ever you want it to be in your art. Then from there quickly sketch the farthest thing from your view, such as the clouds in the sky, then start sketching in the next closest thing to you, like the mountains/hills, etc... Also don't worry so much about doing a completed piece, just have fun doing quick sketches of different views until you get a feel of what you're really interested in drawing. Also use different media, pencils, colored pencils, pastels, charcoal, etc. Have fun!

Answer 2

Try to outline the object first and then fill it in later. See where all the shadows lay in the object and just shade those. Just experiment with different mediums like one day do pencil, charcoal, color pencils, and or paint.  

Answer 3

You can e-mail me because I'm an architect.

Answer 4

The best tip I ever got was draw what you see, not what you THINK you see. Sometimes we think we should draw things a certain way and it changes the perspective of our drawings. This is fine if you are going for a more stylized piece, but if you want it to be realistic then take you assumptions out of it and just draw whats there.  

Answer 5

NOT tracing,  You do not learn how to draw by tracing, no matter how many people think you do.  

Grab your sketchbook and go outdoors.

Step #1 . . . learn to limit your sketches by using a viewfinder.  It can be as simple as an empty slide holder, or as fancy as an artists viewfinder:  http://colorwheelco.com/images/vc_art.jp...  This will make "all that detail" less daunting. . . .

Step #2 . . .  give yourself 5-10 minutes for each sketch. . . and do a series of VALUE STUDIES.  http://charlesharrington.com/ginstep1.jp...  Absolutely no details. . . just break down what you are drawing into 5 values.  

Step #3 . . . once you have mastered composing a nicely balanced landscape  and established the values that work best, add in some details . . . but only in the center of interest, leaving everything else less focused and less detailed.  http://www.ukiyoe-gallery.com/ukiyoe/Has...

Step #4 . . . learn to sketch vignettes in detail before moving on to large-scale landscapes    http://www.kartglass.com/images/Landscap...   limiting the work to just the focal point and supporting images, but leaving out most of the background and unnecessary details . . . http://www.easd.k12.pa.us/ehs/department...

After a while you will be hankering to take your watercolors, acrylics, or pastels outdoors with you and become an accomplished plein air painter.    

Answer 6

id say to observe. Everytime you go out, observe every feature. Look at trees mountains etc. See how the sky touches the sea and look at the clouds. dont miss a thing! Then take a picture of what you want to draw or just remember it.

Then for drawing it try to draw with a loose hand. dont stiffen your hand, draw circles and manny lines for a tree for example.  You get me?

Just relax...