Cave Junction gets a backdrop

Cave Junction has never had a backdrop.  The wall is painted blue and the trees on the right were a trial of a stamp pad, not so good.  The hardest part in painting a backdrop is starting it, so just jump in.

I took a picture of the blank wall and put it on my computer.  After studying a lot of pictures I added a mountain range using a paint program.  This serves as a template to the finished painting.  I used this rough outline to sketch in the mountains on the wall in blue pastel chalk.

Starting with a used can of white latex paint and a round 3/4 inch stiff bristled brush I started roughing in the clouds. Dip the brush in the paint and wipe off the excess, you don't want the brush too wet. Clouds are built up by dabbing the front and top edge of the cloud, working to the back and bottom as the paint is used up.  The next part of the cloud is layered over the first (I worked from the left to the right).  This will make the clouds fade off to the right. The clouds were built up in this manner. I made sure to paint the cloud past the edge of any mountain it would touch.  If the mountain was to be covered in snow, I added some blue to the white to darken the cloud.  Wispy clouds coming off the top of the mountains, are made by dragging the almost dry brush through the freshly dabbed on paint. To make really light airy clouds use an almost dry brush.  Don't worry, you can rework any cloud that didn't turn out right.  Remember less paint is better and WHITE is your friend.

Continue until you have all the clouds that will touch the top of the mountains painted in.  You can add more above these later.  I like to taper my clouds off in one direction, as if the wind was blowing that way.  All the lightest/brightest parts should be on the same edge, eg. the left in this case.  You can go back and darken up parts of your clouds by adding in some blue to the white, but it easier just to let some of the blue background show through.

Next comes the mountains.  I roughed them in using blue (heartland or colonial blue) and white paint, trying to remember which side was the shady side, eg. away from the sun.  Starting at say the top left side of the mountain, dip the brush in blue paint and drag the blue paint down the edge of the mountain.  Then dip the same brush in white paint and drag it down the mountain just below the line you just painted, working both sides of the mountain as you go.  Make sure to drag the blue and white stripes into each other, from both the top and bottom of the mountain.  You will be surprised at the result.

Switching to a smaller ( 1/4 inch) brush, I started working in some details. With the brush loaded with the blue, held so you are painting with its edge, you can define peaks and ridges, back filling with streaky blue and white as you go from the top to the bottom of the mountain.  Valleys full of snow can be formed by painting back and forth in a little arc, gradually trailing it off down the mountain slope. White can also be used to define a ridge if it is next to a darker area.  The play between the dark and light define the features of the mountain.  Remember the farther away the lighter it should be.

 Then I added some tan to the base of the mountains to help blend them to my scenery.  I then added clouds into the valleys and bases of the mountains, inserting a hazy forest lower down.  To do this you start high up in a valley and dab in the clouds, widening them as you descend the valley.  Once all the valleys are done, join all the clouds together across the base of the mountains.  These clouds should be put in with horizontal strokes and blended by dabbing the edges.  This cloudy area acts as a light background for the foreground scenery to be painted on next.  But I will let this dry for now.  I also added a cloud through the top of one of the mountains for effect.  N.B. I think the hazy forest (made by dabbing on layered shades of blue) should be a little higher, oops.  Hey these mountains remind me of a Coors light can, got to go now.