Oil Painting Medic is a practical guide to oil painting techniques, materials and troubleshooting. Begin with Home or Start Here. Browse my Artbooks and Whats Trending. With copious articles covering portraiture, landscapes, still life, and problem solving, this blog helps artists improve technique and overcome challenges. Navigate by theme in the sidebar.

Focus On Landscape Painting: Trees, Skies, Water, Mountains and More

Think about a landscape and many ideas come to mind: woods, mountains, lakes, skies, snow and ruins. Think of colour, light, texture and atmosphere. Where does the artist begin with landscape painting? This hub page gathers my best landscape art tutorials and more are on the way. Find tips, fixes and art materials required to get started. This page provides an easy navigation to the desired landscape content.

Oil painting materials and oil paintings in progress

Painting Trees and Woodland

Find articles on trees and foliage, woodland scenes, autumn colours, spring buds, and seasonal greens. Learn how to paint dappled shadows from canopies, bare trees and the coarse bark of tree trunks. Learn to paint flowers and to avoid muddy colours.

Painting Skies, Clouds and Weather

And how about skies and atmosphere?

I used to keep weather records and learned about the clouds. Terms like cirrus, cumulus and mackerel became familiar terms and enhanced my understanding of the sky.

This focus page pulls together tips on how to add drama to your sky paintings, how to paint clouds, sunlight, mist, shadows, sunsets and moonlight. And how to suggest distance in various atmospheric conditions, such as mist, fog and haze. And how to mix colours for snow.

Painting Water and Reflections

Weather relates to water. How does the artist paint reflections, ripples and wavelets? How about coasts, waterfalls and deluges. Learn how to capture the colour and tone that weather inflicts upon water.
This page pulls together articles on how to paint water from rivers and streams to the glasslike plane of calm water.

Painting Mountains, Rocks and Cliffs

Mountains are like the land crumpled up into folds and creases. Think about crags, cliffs and bluffs. The intricacy of the resulting textures can be overwhelming.

Explore articles covering snow-capped mountains, frost hollows and mist hanging over distant peaks. Learn how to paint textures, moss and cracks in rock.

Alfresco and Outdoor Painting

Finally, how about getting out into the elements? There is nothing quite like it. This section explores outdoor oil painting and plein air techniques, including travelling light, preparing for the unexpected and planning ahead.

Colour Mixing for Landscapes

A cornerstone of landscape art is colour. Learn about how to mix greens, earth colours and an array of skies. All goes back to colour theory, tone and contrast.

Learn about oil painting pigments and the art material brands I would recommend.

Fixes for Landscape Problems

Of course, things can go wrong. This is why Oil Painting Medic exists. Learn to add drama to a lifeless landscape, corrective techniques such as tonking, scumbling, oiling out, and discover how to rescue a painting that has gone off track. The main art techniques is a good place to start.

Find fixes for lifeless landscapes, muddy colours, overworked greens and idealised clouds.

Explore More Landscape Tutorials

Landscape painting is a rich and diverse subject with endless techniques and creative possibilities. Use the links on this page to explore specific landscape painting topics and improve your skills step by step.

Further Reading

Looking for additional drawing and art tutorials? Visit my sister art blog The Art Studio. Here, it's how to paint a waterside tree with a limited palette.


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