Setting out to draw a general landscape poses one particular dilemma. What do you want to draw? Possibilities include cities, villages, mountains, woodlands, waterfalls, spectacular cliffs or even the moon. Perhaps you want to draw a view from another planet. These represent just a small selection of possibilities. Any time you draw a landscape, though, there are just a few basic things you need to do. Following these steps, any kind of landscape, real or imagined, can be put onto paper.
Instructions
1. Determine what type of landscape you want to draw, and how the main objects in the scene will be oriented.
2. Draw an outline of the main features. If your landscape’s main features are mountains, buildings or a road, start with an outline of those first. Don’t forget to draw in lines for the bottom, whether it’s ground or water. Make sure lines that need to be straight are so by using a ruler. Use horizon lines and vanishing points if the picture is going to have objects that extend into the distance.
3. Start drawing in details of objects in the foreground. Draw elements that give them depth, and add detail to components drawn in Step 2.
4. Draw additional things that would block the view of stuff in the distance, such as trees. Add outlines of features in the background.
5. Start filling in shading and contour details of foreground elements. Draw details of objects in the distance.
6. Complete shading and surface detail of all elements in the drawing. Erase any guidelines, if you’ve drawn any, which may still be visible and not supposed to be part of the scene.
