Key Discoveries in Practice:

China, Xinjiang Yili

The grass plains of Xinjiang Province in northwestern China are between 2,000 and 3,000 meters above sea level and lie under the Tian Shan mountain range. It is one of my favorite places to paint in China. This is because of the intense light, particularly at the time captured in this small 6-by-8-inch sketch done just before sunset when the light is as its most intense. The key discovery of warm cool contrast is key here. The contrast is between the blues of the sky and shadows and the warm colors of the mountains in sunlight and the nearby road. An important thing to notice is that it is not sufficient just to have a contrast between the cool and the warm color. You also need to make sure that one of these areas is bigger than the other (it doesn’t matter which). Look at the photograph of the original scene. You can see that the warm areas and the cool areas are about equal in size. But in my composition, I have altered the position of the horizon to make them different in area. Another key discovery being used is the use of directional lines. These lines draw attention to the center of interest (the highly saturated colors in the foreground). It also serves to give perspective depth to the scene. You can learn more about warm/cool contrast in Workshop H, and perspective in Workshop J, M, and O of the Virtual Art Academy® Apprentice Program.