When you’ve been painting landscapes for as long as John Pototschnik, you come across common mistakes that less experienced painters are prone to make. Here, John shares what those mistakes are, and how to fix them so you can improve your art, starting now.
Are You Making These 5 Common Mistakes when Painting Landscapes?
1. They can’t draw, don’t understand linear or aerial perspective, and do not consider eye level/horizon line.
The fix: Get a book on perspective, start at page one, and work through it page by page, recreating all the drawings shown. Don’t move to page two until everything is understood on page one.
2. They’re fixated on color, not value.
The fix: Work on location using only black and white.
3. There are way too many tube colors on the palette.
The fix: Limit the palette to just the three primaries + white.
4. Using poor quality paints and brushes, none of which is kept clean.
The fix: Buy the best paint and brushes you can afford. Clean the paint off gunked-up tubes. Thoroughly clean brushes at the end of each day.
5. Being disorganized and taking way too much stuff into the field.
The fix: Simplify, simplify. Limit your tube colors to only three; that alone will save a lot of space and weight.
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