The Landscape Painter's Workbook: Essential Studies in Shape, Composition, and Color

by Mitchell Albala

The Landscape Painter’s Workbook is the definitive hands-on guide to the time-honored techniques and essential elements of landscape painting.

Written by celebrated landscape artist, instructor, and author Mitchell Albala, this richly informative and beautifully illustrated volume leads you step by step through his approach to the genre, from establishing a composition using basic shapes to applying time-tested color strategies, with all-new lessons, practical exercises, and special topics,

The Complete Color Strategy. What are the three aspects of color contrast that guide a painting’s strategy? Notan. Explore this special type of compositional study, which identifies the underlying shapes and patterns of a composition. Picture Formats. How does the picture format—horizontal, vertical, or square—affect the composition? What are the pros and cons of each? Color Grouping. A full chapter details this special practice, which helps maintain harmony by organizing colors into a limited number of groups. Composition. An in-depth review of variation, movement, and active negative space, with illustrations that diagram the action in each example. Workshop Exercises. Instead of demonstrations that show how the author paints, The Landscape Painter’s Workbook includes 10 skill-building workshop exercises to help you work through essential lessons on your own. With examples of work by 45 contemporary landscape painters—more than 80 paintings in all—​in oil, acrylic, pastel, and watercolor, the lessons are suitable for all mediums. Each painting is thoroughly analyzed in terms of shape, composition, or color, with supporting diagrams, thumbnails, and photographs.

The Landscape Painter’s Workbook inspires and informs all artists, from aspiring to accomplished, on how to successfully portray the majesty and subtlety of the natural world. The For Artists series expertly guides and instructs artists at all skill levels who want to develop their classical drawing and painting skills and create realistic and representational art.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Reference, Drawing

174 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 30, 2021

Reviews

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an excellent resource! This book is packed with advice, exercises and example paintings of everything Albala teaches in a variety of styles from a variety of artists. This is not a beginner's book, but beginners may be inspired by some of the advice. Very helpful.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

[Anya · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Landscape Painter’s Workbook is jam packed with techniques, theory, master studies and exercises. I’d place this into the advance category. Beginners without any knowledge or background will have a hard time and I wouldn’t recommend it for them. I especially loved the focus on reductionism and I learned a lot about notans and how to improve my compositions.
I can highly recommend this for advanced artists!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Flora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mitchell Albala has had years of experience in conducting workshops on landscape painting and it shows in this book. The difference from other books on the same topics include the exercises and what questions artists are to ask themselves as they paint.

I feel that this would be suitable for intermediate to advanced painters. I love the many gorgeous paintings that are used as examples, some executed by Mr Albala himself and also some by other obviously accomplished artists. What a joy just to leaf through the pages!

The author's first book has been a bestseller for many, many years and I won't be surprised if this one becomes a hit as well.

[Huni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugely helpful

Just loved this book and read it straight through. I’m so much more excited to get back to painting with all this instruction tucked under my art smock. Planning to use each new painting I do, for awhile, as one of the lessons as I work through the info. I would suggest to trust the process as you work through it and it will all come together. Thanks for such a great teaching book.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very informative but in a simplified easy to do way. I think I would actually like to buy a copy of this for my art library. Best reads pile and 5 stars.

[ania · Rating 4 out of 5]

my introduction to painting theory after it became painfully obvious i wouldn't receive it from my painting prof at uni. the way it was written felt a bit lacking, however it introduces the crucial basics when approaching landscape paintings. especially the chapters about colour groupings and palettes now make me regard art with a new set of eyes, opening up a previously hidden way of analysis. what i loved the most were the practical exercises at the end of each section, made me consciously engage with the material, as well as take a more proactive approach when considering pieces painted by others. excellent for beginners, and a lot of it can be taken outside the realm of traditional painting and applied to digital.

[Maddie Bagley]

You can't learn to paint simply by reading a book, but this expounded some of what my somewhat scatterbrained (& lovely) teacher didn't cover. I probably need an oil painting for dummies book, but more importantly, I need to get back outside and actually paint! Not an entry-level painting workbook, but still, decently straightforward, with practices and lots of pictures to study. I loved the pretty passages on the striving to capture the brilliance of light, but overall, it is a textbook.

[Leyla Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really is an excellent book for any artist, let alone a landscape painter. I very rarely paint landscapes as I am overwhelmed with the subject matter, but right at the beginning of this book there is a sentence which states
"One of the recurring themes throughout this book is that landscape painting is an interpretation."
How very sensible and straight to the point and liberating.
Some of the chapters that are included are Shape interpretation, The picture window format, Composition in action, color, Noton and composition study, color precepts color paradoxes, complete col0r strategy. color grouping and much more.
All is written in easy to understand language and well illustrated, I really think I may have a go at a landscape in the near future.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding instructional and motivational book. Covers the basics, but with more insight. Very helpful for the intermediate painter. Examples include works in oil, watercolor, and pastels. The techniques covered are not about the medium, but about composition, structure, value, etc—all the drawing, seeing and pre-work that make a final piece sing. A staple in my reference library.

[Rescribo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent - lots of examples with clear explanations. The exercises look great, and now I've finished my first read through, I'll be going back through to try out the exercises. Wish there were more art instruction books like this!

[Anton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

Does a great job of explaining landscape painting in simple, easily understood practices, and includes exercises that reinforce the principles. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in landscape painting, new or experienced.

[Brigitte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It simplifies landscape painting without focusing on only one style and the exercises are so useful that I know I’ll keep coming back to them. I have so many PostIts on the pages! 💕

[Maria Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Master teacher

I love his art and this is one of the most didactical art books I have read,
;I like the examples and references.

[Georgia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best resource for landscape painting

Great resource with insightful examples and core principles for creating landscape paintings. I have learned a lot from this book!!

[Stephen R Walbridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always room for learning ….. or refreshing.

I LOVE reading books about painting techniques and practices. And some I may find new information or suggestions while others simply reinforce techniques I’m already practicing. This book did both. It gave me a new perspective on some familiar techniques while reinforcing those I was already in use of. Very enjoyable and very informative regardless of your level of knowledge or expertise. Highly recommended.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers a strong foundation to landscape painting, valuable insights for artists working in a variety of painting media. Albala includes work by many contemporary artists to illustrate his points, not solely his own work. As a watercolor artist I appreciated the diversity. I read this book online but will be buying a paper copy as well.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

2 points…..….. first ( I already knew) do a small value study…. Second, ( I learned) do an equally small color study…. I absolutely know that this second study will save me from horribly ruined sketches / paintings…

[Angela Whitmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough

Quite an indepth manual with instruction and exercises to improve your landscape paintings. This is a technical look at colour, composition and shape. Do not expect any step by step tutorials for beginners.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear explanation and illustration of various pallets

Very clear, well organized, and well illustrated. Good for the beginner and a great reminder for practicing artist. The illustrations can be used to practice some of the concepts and is a really nice touch.

[Donyae Coles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is probably a good art book just not for me. I didn't find it engaging but I don't think it's a bad book! I just didn't connect.

[T L Oestmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best art instruction book I've ever read. Wonderful illustrations to please every artist's eye!

[Jeffrey Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific insight into the basics -- but these are powerful -- of painting.

[Tara Blais Davison · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75/5 Very interesting colour concepts discussed. More of an intermediate workbook than general level.

[Kathee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great info about color and palletes

[andré ✧*。 · Rating 5 out of 5]

When we paint, we establish a conversation with ourselves. Through his inquiry approach, Albala is able to join our conversation and enrich it. This way, the book focuses on simplification: 'Are you squinting to help yourself see basic light and dark patterns?'; composition: 'What are the pathways of movement in your subject?'; and color: 'When developing a strategy, are you remembering that the strategy isn't only about hue interactions?'.

The exercises in each chapter were quite useful too.

Thank you, Mitchell 🎨

[Cindee Ketches · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love this book full of detailed descriptions and gorgeous pictures. Very inspiring! Makes me want to pull out my paints and brushes and give it a go, (even though I have less than zero talent).

This is not just a beautiful book. It has very practical exercises to guide any budding artist through different techniques on how to approach landscape art including shapes, focus, composition, balance of light and dark areas, and many different techniques on colour use.

This is certainly a book that many artists will want to have on their shelf to refer to often.

[JCS · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover of this beautiful painter’s workbook is what drew me in to read it. The author has created a very readable guide to improving landscape paintings. Probably more suitable for intermediate and more advanced artists, the book is full of ideas. I like that there are questions throughout to make you think about your technique in more detail. There are plenty of inspiring examples of paintings too, by forty five contemporary landscape artists, in a variety of mediums. A very useful resource for any artist. Thank you to Mitchell Albala, Net Galley and Rockport Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Mags (mbooksbycandlelight) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It’s shock full of theory about landscape painting, and I learned a lot of new techniques and strategies that I’ll try to implement in my art going forward. I would say that this is not really a book for beginners. At least for me, I think I would have been very intimidated and overwhelmed if this has been my first introduction to landscape painting. Still overall an amazing book and for sure a great addition to your art book collection.

I received an eArc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Dharshani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Publisher for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
First of all I would like to start with saying this book is for advanced artists. The book is a wealth of information on techniques packed with exercises. Mitchell Albala teaches a variety of styles from a variety of artists including beautiful landscapes from accomplished artists to his own accomplishments.
I would suggest this book for intermediate to advanced level artists to perfect their techniques and nuances.

[Kichu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. It has lots of information. It is a collective book with all techniques for improving painting landscapes. Each chapter is dedicated to a topic to keep in mind and provides good explanation with reference paintings. Beginners can understand how masters think. It has good exercises with steps for understanding and practicing the topic discussed. A must have for a true landscape artist irrespective of the medium. But may be complicated for true beginners.