Wellington Point, High Contrast

Full Video

Painting a High-Contrast Landscape (Long)

Key Takeaways: 

  • The tree and its cast shadow are linked. This is a form of simplification. Instead of two distinct elements, we have one larger one.
  • The big idea of this painting is color contrast. The high key background against the dark foreground. Much like Claude Monet’s Juan-Les-Pins.
Claude Monet, Juan-Les-Pins, 1888
Claude Monet, Juan-Les-Pins, 1888
  • Most of my time was spent painting the leaves at the top. I built up many layers of broken color, using all kinds of techniques. Dabbing, lifting, scraping, multicolored strokes… anything to get the desired effect.
  • The thick texture creates tiny cast shadows on the painting. This is known as raking light. It adds an interesting dimension to the painting.

Time-Lapse

Painting a High-Contrast Landscape (Time-Lapse)

Finished Painting

Dan Scott, Wellington Point, High Contrast, 2021
Dan Scott, Wellington Point, High Contrast, 2021

Reference Photo

Dan Scott, Reference Photo, Wellington Point High Contrast 700W

Thanks for Reading!

Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I appreciate it! Feel free to share with friends. If you want more painting tips, check out my Painting Academy course.

Happy painting!

Dan Scott
Draw Paint Academy

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Dan Scott is the founder of Draw Paint Academy. He's a self-taught artist from Australia with a particular interest in landscape painting. Draw Paint Academy is run by Dan and his wife, Chontele, with the aim of helping you get the most out of the art life. You can read more on the About page.