11-05-2014, 12:08 PM
I don't know what your workflow is like for that forest painting, but you have the digital advantage. Use it! Work with layers, masks, groups textured brushes etc to get as much out of the medium as possible. Workin on one layer is a good exercise, but in my opinion using many layers for different groups of trees (I usually do it Foreground middle ground background) is really helpful in keeping things organized, especially in something that has a lot of individual elements like a forest.
Also, when doing a forest, don't forget the majority of it will be in shadow due to the canopy. I see its an autumn scene, however you have kept a lot of the foliage there which is good for you because then you get to use them to cast shadows. What that really means is:
1) You don't /need/ to cast shadows from the trunks
2) you don't need to concern yourself with rendering them all as cylinders, since the contrast will be lower and therefore requires less work to render
Both of which make painting forest easier. Think of ways to summarize the scene rather than render them all individually. Keeping a lot of things in shadow or in low contrast, and having the lit areas be a minority albeit an important one, will also help your composition a lot
Here's some examples of implied forests from some old painters. I know it strays a lot from the style/mood you have going right now, but maybe theres some ideas you can borrow to imply the density of the trees, of the foliage etc. Like how the branches under the leafy areas are shadowed, how the leaves are very simply rendered (shadow first then simple textures on top)
http://www.oilpaintingswholesalefromchin...ot/031.jpg
http://www.crazyfish.com.au/Upload/Produ...403927.JPG
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/1...0a4d24.jpg
Also, when doing a forest, don't forget the majority of it will be in shadow due to the canopy. I see its an autumn scene, however you have kept a lot of the foliage there which is good for you because then you get to use them to cast shadows. What that really means is:
1) You don't /need/ to cast shadows from the trunks
2) you don't need to concern yourself with rendering them all as cylinders, since the contrast will be lower and therefore requires less work to render
Both of which make painting forest easier. Think of ways to summarize the scene rather than render them all individually. Keeping a lot of things in shadow or in low contrast, and having the lit areas be a minority albeit an important one, will also help your composition a lot
Here's some examples of implied forests from some old painters. I know it strays a lot from the style/mood you have going right now, but maybe theres some ideas you can borrow to imply the density of the trees, of the foliage etc. Like how the branches under the leafy areas are shadowed, how the leaves are very simply rendered (shadow first then simple textures on top)
http://www.oilpaintingswholesalefromchin...ot/031.jpg
http://www.crazyfish.com.au/Upload/Produ...403927.JPG
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/1...0a4d24.jpg