The colors and light that are used for painting autumn landscapes make an artwork easily identifiable for the viewer, making the painting more realistic. These concepts are not hard to learn and can be mastered with careful observation and practice.
Fall Landscape Colors
Most artists know that common fall colors in landscapes are red, orange, brown, yellow and gold. It is important to note, though, that just any version of these colors won’t necessarily work for an autumn painting. This is because fall colors are warm hues.
What Are Warm Colors?
Warm hues are colors that contain a bit of yellow or red. Since orange is a secondary color made of yellow and red, any orange will work for autumn paintings. This is also true for tertiary colors (colors that are made by mixing a secondary and primary color) such asgold and browns such.
Reds from a tube can be tricky in landscape painting, though. They can be blended with a cooler undertone, which may look out of place with the warm colors of fall. For example, Alizarin Crimson has a yellow, warm undertone while Permanent Rose has a cooler undertone because it contains a touch of blue, a cool color.
The best way to determine if your color is warm or cool is by dividing the color wheel. Colors that range from the darkest red to the lightest yellow are warm colors. Colors that range from the lightest green to the lightest purple are cool.
Once again, though, make sure that the manufacturer did not add a bit of blue to the red you are using. This will make it more in the purple, or cool, range.
Autumn Light in Paintings
As the world tilts away from the sun, the outdoor light wanes. Overall, it isn’t as strong as the light during the summer. Since strong light can washout colors, soft, fall light can add richness to the already vibrant colors that abound during this time.
To mimic autumn light in paintings, the artist should avoid using strong contrasts in light and dark. The light should blend from one extreme to the next without harsh lines.
Also, the artist should avoid pure white highlights on objects. White with a touch of yellow tones will seem less harsh and will unify your painting.
So, when painting autumn landscapes the artist should remember to keep subjects warm and soft to achieve a realistic look that transports the viewer to fall.
For more information on creating realistic landscapes see: How to Create Depth in Landscapes.
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