Earth Based Artwork: Landscapes

We think the air is invisible, but the tiny particles and molecules that surround us exist, and the reason things look blurry from a distance is due, in part, to trying to see through so many of them. Atmospheric perspective can help create a sense of depth in a landscape painting by changing the value and intensity of the colors. Generally cooler, lighter colors and blurry shapes are in the background. Clearer, darker, shapes want to move closer to use...at least in in the daylight.

For night scenes, the darker colors are pushed back while the lighter come forward. Basically you want to move in the direction of the color and value of the sky, is the backdrop to all of our landscapes. Overlap, also plays a big role in creating the illusion of space. For my students who were totally blind, they literally overlapped layers of paper for each layer of the landscape and then glued/ decoupaged them all together. No matter how the landscapes were created, they made me want to take a camping trip to the Great Smoky Mountains where atmospheric landscapes rule supreme. I already booked a site at a campground there for next week.  In the words of John Muir, "The mountains are calling and I must go."

Monochromatic Landscapes

Here on planet Earth, we have a little thing called atmosphere, which makes it possible for us to stay alive. It also makes things look fuzzier the further away they are. If it is night-time, things will probably look darker if they're farther from you. If the sky is a light gray, mountains and buildings may look lighter and softer from far away. Atmospheric perspective is a way for artists to show depth in their paintings.

I think the easiest way to introduce atmospheric perspective and color schemes to students is with a monochromatic assignment. Mono means "one" and chroma is "color." Students pick a color and add that color to white to tint it. They add black to that color to shade it.

Before mixing paint, students had to research and draw landscapes or cityscapes, thinking about vertical placement of rooftops or mountains. The foreground is at the bottom of the paper, the sky is at the top, and there are several divisions in the middle.

The color, straight out of the bottle was used to paint the middle ground before tinting and shading in increments for the other layers. My students who were completely blind decided what they wanted to paint and what color to use. Then I cut out layers of cardboard and paper for them to paint on their own. Ultimately, we glued the layers together. This makes for a tidier end product for sighted students as well. 

If you try this assignments with students be sure that they add the darker color to the lighter color so as not to waste a gallons trying to lighten up a dark color. It's also helpful to look for how atmospheric perspective works in the real world, beyond the classroom doors.