Sky, mountains, foreground, in that order
Okay. You've got a loose sketch now, penciled in light, not fussed over. That's your map. Today we actually paint the thing, start to finish, in the order I always do it: sky first, then mountains, then whatever's happening down front.
There's a reason for the order and it's not artistic, it's just physics plus dry air. Sky goes down while the paper's still wet and open, so it can stay soft. Mountains go on once the sky's dry, so their edge is crisp against it — that's what makes them read as far away, like we talked about a couple lessons back. Foreground goes last because it's got the most detail and the most contrast, and you want it to be the thing your eye lands on, not competing with a sky that's still doing something loud.
Paint out of order and everything fights for attention. I've done that. It looks like a shouting match on paper.
Get set up first
Tape your paper down. All four edges, painter's tape, pressed flat. I know I say this every time. I'm going to keep saying it because the first wash I ever did was on plain printer paper, untaped, and it warped into this potato-chip shape right in front of me while I watched, helpless, like it was happening to someone else. I taped the next one down and it still buckled a little. Eventually I just decided a slightly warped painting was part of my personality and moved on. But taping helps a lot, so do that.
Use your cheap paper for this one. Not the good stuff. You're going to make some calls today you might regret, and cheap paper doesn't care.
Sky
Wet the sky area with clean water first, brush strokes going the direction you want the wash to move — usually side to side, following the horizon. Then drop in your color while it's still glistening wet. One color, maybe two if you're feeling it, blue up top fading to almost nothing near the mountain line.
Work fast. Our air here dries a wash quicker than any tutorial filmed somewhere humid is going to tell you, so don't dawdle mixing paint while your paper's drying out from under you. Mix first, then move.
Let it dry completely before you touch the mountains. Completely. Touch it with the back of your hand if you're not sure — if it feels cool, it's still wet.
Mountains
Far mountains: cooler, lighter, a little blue-gray, painted wet-into-wet so the edge is a bit soft, sitting back in the haze. Closer mountains or foothills: darker, warmer, more detail, painted with a drier brush so the edge is crisp against the sky behind it.
Here's where I'll say my mud opinion out loud: don't panic if your foothill color comes out a little grayish brown. That color is basically what our foothills actually look like most of August, all dried out and dusty. A little mud in a landscape is realistic, not a mistake. I make that color on purpose now.
Foreground
Last, and closest, and where you get to have the most fun. This is where your loose sketch pays off — you already decided where the tree line goes, or the fence, or the field, so just follow your own plan. Darker values, more contrast, tighter brushwork if you want it, though "tighter" for me is still pretty loose. If you want crisp detail work I'm honestly not your best guide for that part — I'll point you to a better resource before I fake it.
Let each layer actually dry before the next. I know it's tempting to keep going while you're in it. Resist for thirty seconds. That's usually all our air needs.
A caution, since we're using more water today
Keep your water changes going — dirty water muddies your sky in a way you don't want, and it's an easy habit to skip when you're moving fast. Also, if you're using a hairdryer to speed a layer along, keep it moving and not right on the tape edges. Tape gets weird and lifts when it gets too hot too long.
Before next time
Bring the painting you make today, warped tape and all, and don't fix anything about it before you get here. I want to see what dry air and gravity did to it on their own.