Landscape Drawings

How to Capture the Great Outdoors in Pencil!
Whilst many consider landscape drawings to be inferior to a landscape painted in oils or watercolours, this could not be further from the truth and in actual fact, pencil lends itself well to capturing the great outdoors. Landscape drawings can be simple sketches or can become detailed drawings which can invite those viewing the final picture to almost step inside the frame. Although the countryside around us has a multitude of hues and colours and is arranged in an aesthetically pleasing way, a landscape drawing in its very simplicity can capture a simpler and more innocent side to the countryside.

Dedicated practice is important when starting out and also becoming more observant and open to all of the potential drawing opportunities that are available when out in the field.? In addition to this, there are many other points to consider when planning your landscape drawings such as:

- Have you studied the landscape around you? Are you captivated by the scene and if so, what is it about your surroundings that attract you?
- Can you visualise the scene as a drawing?
- Do you know what your final composition is likely to be?
- Have you found the viewpoint that you wish to work from?
- Do you need to take some detailed mini-sketches?
- How can you capture the atmosphere of the scene?

If you really wish to produce good landscape drawings, it is imperative that you become very in-tune with the environment that you are planning to reproduce. Use all of your senses so that prior to drawing, you become part of the scene. For example, a winter woodland scene could be focussing on the eeriness and a sense of isolation that can be found. Drawing a moody sky is another option which could add atmosphere easily to a picture. Landscape drawings in pencil lend themselves beautifully for capturing atmospheric changes and focussing on key elements could be the difference between good landscape drawings or amazing ones.