Virtual Art Academy

Cat. No. 1431 Montenegro Villa

oil painting landscape in Montenegro, by Barry John Raybould
Montenegro Villa, by Barry John Raybould, Oil on Linen, 21.5cm x 21.5cm, 2021

SharePinEmailTweetOn a recent painting trip to Montenegro, I was driven up into the Gluhi Do Mountains. The lighting on this day was very flat and I wasn’t sure I could make a painting out of it. Design strategy To help me find a good composition, I created a notan design in my sketchbook, to work […]

On a recent painting trip to Montenegro, I was driven up into the Gluhi Do Mountains. The lighting on this day was very flat and I wasn’t sure I could make a painting out of it.

Design strategy

To help me find a good composition, I created a notan design in my sketchbook, to work out an interesting division of grays in the painting. The notan design also helped me to identify a good placement for the focal point, and where to place the negative shapes.

Developing a color harmony

One tip on a gray day like this, is to exaggerate the temperature differences in the patches of paint. Then you can try to find some color harmony between these patches. Here is a video of how I took a scene and used a process of exploration to turn it into a painting. You can see the processes I used in my video, along with some other tips, that you may find useful when you are doing your next plein air painting.

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Thank You

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope you find it useful. If you would like to get free painting tips by email, please sign up for my free tips newsletter.

If you are interested in a structured approach for learning how to paint, take a look at my online painting classes.

Happy painting!

Barry John Raybould
Virtual Art Academy

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