Struggles with landscapes

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I have tried for years, but I just can’t seem to get landscape. It is funny that I can do portraits, but not landscapes. So, I have decided to get serious and take the Pastel Landscape Mastery course here at The Virtual Instructor. Here is a landscape that I did a few days ago, before the course. It is pastel pencils on Canson Mi-Teintes paper.

horse barn pastels small
horse barn pastels small800×642 87.4 KB

And here is my first one during the course, which I did this morning. It is soft pastels on velour paper.

vi pastel landscape 1 small
vi pastel landscape 1 small800×633 61.2 KB

I will try to post everything I do with the course in this thread.

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I love them both. Fantastic landscapes :slight_smile:

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Beautiful! Awesome that you’re expanding your skillset, please keep us posted! :smile:

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Wow!!! Youve improved so so much in just a couple days!!! Keep it up!!!:+1::+1::+1:

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Okay, here is the second lesson. I did it twice. The first time I did it on Mi-Teintes paper and I just couldn’t get it right. So, this time I did it on sanded paper and I love it!

vi pastel sky small
vi pastel sky small800×1003 106 KB

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OH MY GOODNESS—it’s so epic! The sun is literally glowing(as it should be) but you got the shades and lights on the clouds AND you added the water, which makes it even better! :scream: :sun_behind_small_cloud: :ocean:

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Thanks! I just followed along with Matt during the lesson.

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This is the third lesson: trees and stuff. LOL!

vi pastel trees small
vi pastel trees small800×641 76.5 KB

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I like how you the trees/grass are soft but the water feels crisp, all with the same medium! :clap:

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Lesson Four: Rocks. This is soft pastels on 8x10 velour paper.

vi pastel waterfall large
vi pastel waterfall large1924×1488 466 KB

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Pretty and nice with the water flow! The softness reminds me of fleece. Keep it up @Ginny ! :smile:

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Next lesson in the course. Architectural elements. I chose a different reference photo. I thought the one that Matt used was WAY too busy for me. LOL! This is 9x12 pastels pencils on sanded paper.

spanish street pastels small
spanish street pastels small800×576 99.6 KB

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Yes, velour paper is rather fleecy. Have you ever tried it?

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No, I don’t think I have. :sweat_smile: Is it your favorite paper so far? And the new piece is fantastic! So many elements, I noticed the diamond pattern on one of the buildings pretty quickly, it helps give a change of pace, rather than all the buildings being solid. :clap: :smile:

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Just for an experiment…do one with no blending or smoothing. None.
I like your images so this is just a suggestion for experimentation.

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I don’t have a favorite paper. They all have their pros and cons.

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Dale, I have tried so many times to not blend. LOL! I am addicted. I can’t seem to stop. I try and then I sneak in a little blending, a little more, and soon I have the whole thing blended out and I hate it! I will continue to try. Funny you should mention it… :slight_smile:

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Back to struggling. I chose my own water photo. Water is hard for me. Skies are hard for me. And what do I do? Choose the most difficult photo I could. LOL! Well, I don’t like my painting, but I don’t have to. I just have to keep going.

lighthouse pastels small
lighthouse pastels small800×596 59.7 KB

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Crashing waves, that’s definitely a challenge! I like the piece, and the detail on the lighthouse. Nice work challenging yourself! :smile: :clap:

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This is not part of the course, but I have been wanting to do this photo for a while. I feel like I am going backwards! LOL! I did NOT blend. Well, a dab or two in the tree trunks, because of some mess-ups, but other than that, no blending. Pastel pencils on Canson Mi-Teintes toned paper, 9x12.

Howard Tunnel pastels small
Howard Tunnel pastels small800×591 110 KB

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