This document provides instructions for a digital illustration and design project where students are asked to create their own landscape. It discusses key landscape composition elements like foreground, midground, and background. It also covers principles of balance, the rule of thirds, focal points, and perspective. Students are given examples of tree forms to study and asked to concept an original landscape showing mood, character and feel.

1. digital illustration + design
project 1: design a landscape
plainfield central – mr. lawler art + design
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2. digital illustration + design
CREATE YOUR OWN LANDSCAPE
plainfield central – mr. lawler art + design
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Foreground, Midground & Background
Composition is the technical foundation of a painting. It is the organization of the
principles and elements to create the strongest harmony and unity. A poor
composition can ruin a good painting, whereas a strong composition can
enhance even the most mediocre painting.
In a landscape painting, you will use foreground, midground and background to
create a sense of depth and distance. The diagram to the left illustrates the use
of foreground, midground and background, along with the layout of sky and
terrain. Below there are three examples of a landscape layout. Determine which
of the three best demonstrates the use of foreground, midground & background.
Be sure to refer to the diagrams to the left.
Creating Balance & Using the Rule of Thirds
When creating a composition these are the things you should be looking for: 1) balance of
elements & principles – this means that you have established the purposeful use of line, shape,
form, space, value, texture, color, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, and rhythm, 2)
establishing a strong center of interest (what is your focal point?), 3) utilizing perspective and
space division (planar surfaces and vanishing points), 4) use of line to create direction from
foreground and midground to the background, 5) creating a unique vantage point and 6) visual
strength created through an overall strong design quality (drawings and paintings are designs!).
The diagrams to the left demonstrate tools to establish a focal point and an overall composition. A
symmetrically balanced image shows an immediate focal point but lacks the visual interest and
eye-movement created by an asymmetrically balanced image. Use the Rule of Thirds to avoid
splitting your painting top to bottom, or side to side in half. It is more interesting to have a low or
high horizon for instance, with one third at the top, two thirds at the bottom (or visa-versa) than
splitting a painting right down the middle. Remember the Golden Mean: "For a space divided into
equal parts to be agreeable and aesthetic, between the smallest and largest parts there must be
the same relationship as between this larger part and the whole space."

3. digital illustration + design
CREATE YOUR OWN LANDSCAPE
plainfield central – mr. lawler art + design
Studying the
Masters
Monet, Renoir and
the other
Impressionists were
known to study the
maters. This was not
a unique practice
unto them, but what
was unique was that
they studied the
masters and then
took those principles
to the outdoors.
Below and to the
right, recreate the
landscape sketches,
then apply these
ideas to your own
compositions.

4. digital illustration + design
CREATE YOUR OWN LANDSCAPE
plainfield central – mr. lawler art + design
Tree Forms
When completing a landscape, perhaps one of
the most important natural forms to study is the
tree. To the right, you will find 23 different tree
forms. Recreate some of these in the space
provided below. Choose at least two tree forms
from each row (for a total of 8 tree forms).
Cone Trees
Below is a diagram of a conifer tree drawn from
the basic form of a cone. Recreate this diagram
in the space provided below.

5. digital illustration + design
CREATE YOUR OWN LANDSCAPE
Think of your landscape as being concept art for a “world”. This could be a
realistic or fantastic world – but should show mood, character and the
overall feel.
plainfield central – mr. lawler art + design

6. digital illustration + design
CREATE YOUR OWN LANDSCAPE
plainfield central – mr. lawler art + design