This lesson was done with 2nd graders, but I think it works well as an outline for teaching landscapes for a range of grades.
Begin by looking at a selection of landscape paintings, in this case we examined the art of Grandma Moses. The simplicity and charm in her work is so appealing and her story is quite impressive... coming to fame as an artist at 80 years old!
Whatever artist you choose to focus on, take time to appreciate at the artwork together. Take note of the details of each landscape and the feelings the paitings evoke.
Point out to students how the land is divided on the paintings. Look for the foreground, middle ground, and background in each. Then, when you are ready to begin drawing, use a pencil or oil pastel, and instruct students draw their own foreground, middle ground and background on their paper.
Now notice how the artist shows perspective by painting things larger when they are close and smaller when they are far away. Guide the students to fill their landscapes with what they imagine in it: trees, a stream, buildings, animals or other things. Draw the items small in the background and larger when they are up close.
When students are ready to begin painting, point out how the colors tend look lighter or more muted in the background, while colors are brighter and more clear in the foreground. Notice too, how many shades, tints and mixed colors are used in the artist's paintings. Let them know that we will be mixing colors to fill the landscape and guide them in mixing white into a color to create a tint, and mix the color's opposite to make it darker. If I'm able to remove black from the palette, I like to do that so the colors stay rich.
Guide students to fill in the sections of their landscape with the colors they are mixing. Remind them that lighter and muted colors are usually in the back, while brighter colors are in front since they are close to the viewer's eye.
As a final step, offer a few oil pastels to students to draw in extra details and texture to their landscape. Small details are typically seen in the foreground.
