Any artist who wants to learn to sketch landscapes needs to practice and perfect his skill. By practicing and having a little patience he/she can make a huge difference which can be seen in his/her work.

When you learn to sketch, in the initial stages you need to keep a record of your drawings. So, get those sketchbooks out and begin sketching the landscapes you have seen or imagined. At the end of your sketch don’t forget to mark the date it was created, so that, you can keep a record of how your drawings are developing over time.

You can learn to sketch landscapes by following the steps listed below:

Step One:

The basic shape that a landscape artist will mostly use is a rectangle, although, you can use any shape you want ranging from oval to vertical oblong. As a beginner it is wise to use the rectangle shape, it is also called the “picture plane” it helps set the thumbnail and is longer in breadth and shorter in height. Most sketches are drawn in portrait mode or rectangle shape as it helps with the perspective of the artist.

You need to create a rough outline of your sketch. By doing so, you can evenly portion out the foreground, background and horizon line of the landscape sketch. Do not place anything in the center, especially the horizon line, if you do so the image will appear boring and static. Once you get a good composition going the sketch will come together effortlessly.

Step Two:

When you learn to sketch, your drawings must have a focal point. By creating a focal point the viewer knows where to look at which area to focus on. You can direct the attention of the viewer to any part of your sketch by creating a focal point and guide the viewer where you want him/her to go. This method is essential in all sketches and not only landscape sketches.

Step three:

In this step, you need to decide how and where your focal point will place. When deciding on your focal point always make sure that the distance between the points and the point in itself is not the same, hence, the artist will need to follow the ‘Rule of thirds’.

Step Four:

Your drawing is incomplete if it does not have balance. This is the essential elements that go into creating a really pleasant landscape sketch. A sketch is considered off balance if all the focal points are placed on one point of the page. You can also not place the objects in the dead center of your sketch this can cause it to be static and boring. So, as an artist, you need to figure out your landscape perspective and find the middle ground for your sketch.

Conclusion:

By following the above-listed steps you will learn to sketch landscapes smoothly, it may seem like a bit tedious in the beginning but with the right amount of practice, the resulting drawings will be well worth the effort.