How to Paint Distance in Misty Landscapes
The Artist’s Guide to the Colours of Hazy Weather in Oil Painting
May 10, 2009
The horizon, the perspective and the tonal gradation of a landscape painting give the scene a sense of recession, space and depth. In addition, the landscape contains many aspects: meadows, cornfields, rapeseed, lakes, mountains and forests. The added variable of the atmosphere means that the artist must make further considerations to the colour selection when portraying mists.
The Colour of Mist in Landscape Painting
Mist, as everyone knows, consists of water, and varying amounts of pollen and pollutants. How does one capture such an elusive colour? Well, mist is made visible by the impact the surrounding environment has upon these particles: reflections from the colour of the land, the scattering of light, and also how the particles slightly obscure the view. The colour of mist will vary from landscape to landscape and in sunlight and shade. The secret is sensitive observation.
How to Paint Haze on a Fine Day
Mist is not simply grey. It can consist of the most unexpected colours when one looks closely. The four images show different landscapes. Different pigments were required for each in order to capture the colour of the mist.
The grassy field, shown in fig 2 consists of mostly of green. Notice how gradually the green becomes bluer and paler as it recedes. Notice too, how the shadow of the tree is paler in tone than the shadows in the foreground. A scene depicting a fine day, such as this, will feature reflections from the sky. The recession, therefore, is expressed by introducing white, a touch of pthalo blue and a little permanent rose into the viridian of the grass.
The Pigments Needed to Paint Mist over Water
A patchwork of different colours will be affected by recession in its own separate way. The lake scene featured in fig 3 demonstrates that the colour of the mist appears slightly different in each area. For the lake itself, phthalo blue and white were used. The mountains in the distance consist of violets, blues and white.
Painting Mist Over Rapeseed
Even a vibrant colour, such as the yellow of the rapeseed field shown in fig 4, will appear muted by mist. The palette used in this case, contains lemon yellow and cadmium yellow, introducing white and a touch of pthalo blue in the distance. Care needed to be taken not to let the colours mix too much, for it will appear green.
Expressing Distance within a Painting
Punctuating a scene with a prominent object near the foreground will offer a point of reference from which to emphasize distance. In fig 5, the dark colours of the tree offer a focal point and also a sense of space and depth to the background. The colours used for the distant mist in this case, were permanent rose, ultramarine and white.
The Colour of Muggy Weather
The most unexpected colours can be found within haze; the quality of the haze, the colour of the landscape and reflections all contribute to the differing hues that can be found within. Close observation is the key to capturing a convincing portrayal of mist. Different artists will have their own expression of such a watery phenomenon. On the whole, the effect mist will have upon increasing distance is seen as a gradation towards a pale blue. However, other colours can be found, such a violets, crimsons, and greens and even pinks.
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