North of Banff is based on a scene along the Icefields Parkway in the Canadian Rockies, on the road north from Lake Louise toward Jasper. I’ve traveled this country both by bicycle and with Jenny, and the scale of the mountains, glaciers, and changing weather is extraordinary. The reference photograph presented an interesting problem: there were so many trees in the foreground that they blocked the natural movement into the scene. Rather than simply copy the photograph, I rearranged and opened up some of those foreground shapes to create a stronger lead-in toward the sunlit mountains and clouds beyond. In this tutorial, we’ll look at how a reference photograph can be a starting point rather than something that has to be copied exactly, and how changes in value, light, and composition can strengthen a painting while remaining true to the character of the landscape. If you’d like to paint along with me, a downloadable copy of the reference photograph is available inside the tutorial.

To create a free account with your email, click Get Now