Scandinavian Lakes 🌲🏡🌊 (Step-by-step guide - Week 28) (Patreon)

Hi everyone!! 🤗

I had soooo much fun drawing these two landscapes! The left one with the mountains was a challenge, because I first didn't know how to add the mountains without adding too much details, but I think they definitely worked out in the end 😊 The illustration on the right was a bit easier, and I really tried to keep it as minimal as possible. Hope you like them and I hope you are excited to start drawing them yourself this week! 🤗

You will find my tips & step by step instructions from base layer to final illustrations below, together with the materials I used!

Tips

Here are some tips for this week's references:

Focus on the main subject: In these sketches, the red houses are the main focus point in the illustration. So make sure to add more details and more contrast to these houses. You can keep everything else a bit looser.

Simplify the trees: Instead of drawing individual leaves, think of trees as large organic shapes. You can create the suggestion of leaves by adding texture with a few darker scribbles.

Keep the background soft: The mountains or distant trees don't need many details. You can use lighter colors and softer scribbles to keep them in the background. If you add too many details, you will loose depth in your illustrations.

Let the water stay simple: Use mostly horizontal strokes for the water with only a few subtle reflections. The less you do, the more convincing it looks.

Enjoy the imperfections: Loose sketches look more lively because they're not too perfect. Focus on capturing the feeling and the colors of the place rather than every tiny detail.

Island house

I used the following Brush pens as a base layer:

Tombow 126 (Light olive)

Tombow 133 (Chartreuse, Light green)

Tombow 772 (Dusty rose)

Tombow 991 (Light Ocre)

Tombow 553 (Mist purple)

Use light olive for the darker greenery and shadows, you van use light green for the parts where the sun comes through the trees and the lighter greenery. Use Dusty rose for the red walls of the house, make sure to leave space open for the windows! Use Mist Purple for the shadows and rocks in the mountains and to add some waves in the water.

For the second layer, I used the following colored pencils:

Faber-Castell 157 (Dark Indigo)

Faber-Castell 217 (Middle Cadmium Red)

Faber-Castell 278 (Chrome Oxide Green)

You can use chrome oxide green for all the greenery. You can vary in the amount of pressure to add a lighter shade or a darker shade of green. Use Middle cadmium red for the walls of the house, color it in completely with lots of pressure. For the mountains, water and a bit more shading and depth you can use Dark Indigo.

To draw the water: Use Dark Indigo again and draw in little scribbles and waves. Vary in the amount of pressure.

Red house with a pier

I used the following Brush pens as a base layer:

Tombow 126 (Light olive)

Tombow 133 (Chartreuse, Light green)

Tombow 772 (Dusty rose)

Tombow 020 (Peach)

Tombow 553 (Mist purple)

Ecoline 374 (Pink Beige)

Start with the wall of the house and leave some space for the window. Then use Pink beige to draw the rocks, rooftop, pier and boat. Use Peach for the grass on the rocks. Use Light green for the lighter trees and greenery and Light Olive for the darker trees and greenery. There is a small square shape in the window, this is to suggest another window on the other side of the house.

For the second layer, I used the following Pencils:

Faber-Castell 157 (Dark Indigo)

Faber-Castell 283 (Burnt Siena)

Faber-Castell 217 (Middle Cadmium Red)

Faber-Castell 278 (Chrome Oxide Green)

Faber-Castell 108 (Dark Cadmium Yellow)

Faber-Castell 188 (Sanguine)

Start by filling in the wall of the house with middle cadmium red. Leave some space for the leaves of the trees surrounding the house. Add a rooftop with Burnt Siena, you can make the suggestion of rooftrees by drawing a grid.

Use Burnt Siena for the rocks, pier and boat as well. Try to capture the shadows on the rocks like they are in the reference photo. For extra depth, use Dark Indigo as a third layer on top of Burnt Siena for only a few parts.

Use Dark Cadmium Yellow to create the suggestion of grass and use Sanguine to add some shading. To add some variety in the trees and greenery, use Chrome oxide green in different ways. Fill in whole areas or just add little scribbles. For the twigs I also used Chrome Oxide Green.

I wish you all lots of fun with this week's reference, and don't hesitate to ask me any questions or show your illustrations in the group chat 🤗

Celyn 🌸