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If you're looking for drawing ideas, start here! Enjoy this free drawing lesson from pages 54-57 in "See, Think, Draw: an Easy guide to Realistic Drawing and Beyond."

ATMOSPHERIC PERSPECTIVE | Drawing a Landscape

Here we’ll explore the use of value contrast to create the illusion of depth through a concept called atmospheric perspective. The concepts and techniques learned in this project will help you to see the landscape as distinct regions of value contrast. Break out the gray-toned paper, charcoal, and white charcoal or chalk, and we’ll get started!

What You’ll Learn

Drawing on toned paper
Value contrast
Atmospheric perspective
Creating light and atmosphere

What You’ll Need

Gray-toned drawing paper, 8” x 10” or larger
Vine charcoal
Charcoal pencils (medium and soft)
White charcoal or chalk pencil
Rubber eraser
Blending stump

Reference Image

Value Scale 2.0

Working on toned paper is a great way to expand your understanding of value relationships. To recap, value describes how light or dark a form is. Previously, we created value scales on white paper, making distinct values by layering charcoal or graphite. Using toned paper provides an opportunity to think of value differently, as you’ll add both light and dark layers to achieve the desired value. Working on toned paper can provide opportunities to explore value relationships in a new way. When a drawing is created on toned paper, the light areas have to be added, rather than preserved.

Value Scale on Toned Paper

Practice creating your own value scale on toned paper and keep it available to help with your drawing. In this case, the gray-toned paper will serve as a middle (in this case fifth) value. Use hatching, cross-hatching, smudging, or create value washes to fill your squares.

Create a series of seven boxes.
Fill the last square with your darkest value.
Fill the first step with white, using heavy pressure and multiple layers of your white charcoal or pastel pencil.
Gradually fill the next three steps with layers of white charcoal or pastel to create an even gradation between the first and middle square.
Leave the fifth square the color of the paper, then fill in the next-to-last square with a mid-tone gray.

Understanding Value Contrast

Earlier in this section, you were introduced to the difference between high contrast and low contrast. The greater the difference between steps on the value scale, the higher the contrast. The smaller the difference between values, the lower the contrast. You can use contrast to create the illusion of depth through the use of atmospheric perspective, with the general principle being areas closest to the viewer have higher contrast, and areas receding farther from the viewer have lower contrast.

This approach to value contrast is particularly helpful with landscapes. We’re highly sensitive to subtle value changes, particularly when we focus intensely on the subject. You may find that squinting and blurring your vision helps you
see value relationships more accurately.

Practice this in your own surroundings by sharply focusing on any object in the distance. Then, with your eyes locked on the same object, squint and let your eyes lose focus. Take note of what part of the object seems to disappear or blend together. When that happens, it’s an indication that the parts that blend together are more similar in value than you may have initially observed. Allowing your eyes to come in and out of focus as you draw will help you to observe value relationships with greater accuracy.

Value Contrast Range

Background (the sky and distant mountains)
Middle ground (closer hills)
Foreground (the large trees, road, and ground plane)
On the value scale at right are the lightest and darkest values for each area. The background values are very light with very little contrast. In the middle ground, the values become slightly darker and occupy the center of the value contrast increases significantly. Also take note that the lightest value in the foreground is darker than the darkest value in the background.

Drawing a Landscape Step by Step

1 – START BY BLOCKING IN

With your toned paper and charcoal ready, let’s get started drawing the landscape as a set of simple shapes and values that will be refined throughout the full process. Start by blocking in the big shapes and general values. It’s best to use vine charcoal for this initial gesture drawing, as the marks are less permanent and it discourages a focus on details. Most of the marks you make in this gesture drawing will eventually disappear, so don’t worry if they wipe away while working. A simple line is used to indicate the line of the distant mountains in the background. This line will be erased later and replaced with marks using white charcoal. A simple grid is placed on this reference to assist with proportions. Angle sighting and comparative measuring can also be used in this stage to establish basic scale relationships between the foreground, middle ground, and background objects.

2 – DRAW THE MIDDLE GROUND,
START THE FOREGROUND

Finish the middle ground hills using charcoal pencils. The middle ground has little value contrast with gray tones in the middle of the value scale. Your darkest values will be reserved for the foreground, so a hard or medium charcoal pencil will work in this stage. Allow the gray tone of the paper to serve as the lighter values in the middle ground and use a light touch to establish the darker values. Begin filling in some of the foreground mid-values. An overhand grip is helpful to create smooth tones. Smooth with a blending stump as necessary.

3 – COMPLETE THE FOREGROUND

Use a soft charcoal pencil for this stage, allowing you to achieve a dark tone when needed. As with the middle ground, the lightest areas will remain the gray tone of the bare paper. Draw the trees
at left and in the distance with heavy pressure for a dark tone. Establish the sides of the road, paying attention to where they exit the drawing. Draw foreground textures, paying attention to the direction of your marks. Complete the grass using short vertical marks, and use loose, roughly horizontal marks for the road. The trees can be drawn using a combination of vertical and horizontal marks. Keep the tops of the trees unfinished where they overlap the sky. They will be finished in the next step, layering the dark charcoal on top of the finished sky.

4 – BACKGROUND AND DETAILS

The drawing is finished by completing the sky and background, as well as the remaining details in the foreground. Erase any remaining charcoal from the sky area. Then, use your white charcoal or pastel with heavy pressure to fill the sky area, using negative drawing to render the distant mountains. Then use a lighter pressure for the distant mountains, making them slightly lighter than the gray tone of the paper. Use your value scale as a guide to check your values. This step may require multiple layers, blending as you go to cover the gray paper sufficiently.

5 – FINISH

Any additional highlights can be added to the foreground using your white charcoal or pastel. Remember, the lightest values in the foreground should be darker than the darkest values in the sky. A light touch with the white pencil should do the trick, making the foreground highlights come to life. Finally, switch back to your soft charcoal pencil and finish drawing the tops of the trees on top of the sky.

Analyze Your Work

When you’re done, identify your challenges and successes. For example, you could focus on techniques and value relationships:

Did you find it challenging to layer dark and white charcoal on top of each other? Try using the side of the pencil with an overhand grip, or erase the under-layer so you’re working directly on the bare toned paper.
Are your values organized with distinct value ranges for foreground, middle ground, and background? Try the drawing again and experiment with different materials to boost your understanding of the concepts.