The Art of Finishing: Adding Life to Your Landscape
YES! You’re almost done. The art of finishing: adding life to your landscape is the final step. You are a rockstar! It’s one thing to start a painting, anyone can do that. Finishing – now that is an art in itself.
You’ve made it! This is the final video in our 7-part acrylic painting series, and we’re adding the last details that bring a landscape to life—pine trees, dynamic water, and soaring birds. These final touches add depth, movement, and warmth, making your painting feel complete.
Painting Pine Trees with Depth
Pine trees can easily become flat and lifeless if painted without variation. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to create realistic trees by layering dark, mid-tone, and highlight colors. Light pressure on the brush is key to keeping the branches natural and airy. Instead of painting every needle, think in terms of shapes and shadows to build a believable forest.
- Remember to stand back to look and analyze your painting. Even though these pine trees are close together and on the same plain, they can’t all be the exact same color or they will blend in together.
Warming Up the Water & Adding Splashes
Water in the foreground often looks cooler and more neutral early in the painting process. To make it feel more inviting and dynamic, we warm it up with subtle earthy tones and highlights. Adding splashes and foam creates a sense of movement—just a few well-placed flicks of the brush can suggest waves crashing or water cascading over rocks.
I warmed up my water with just a touch of yellow and white and with each pass I added more white. Below are the colors on my palette and links if you need to purchase tools I used in this course.
Painting Soaring Birds for Movement & Atmosphere
Birds add a finishing touch to a landscape, making it feel expansive and alive. The trick is simplicity—just a few strokes can capture their motion. You’ll learn how to position birds in a way that enhances composition and adds a sense of scale to your painting.
This final lesson ties everything together, reinforcing the layering techniques, light pressure, and careful evaluation we’ve practiced throughout the series. Whether you’ve followed along with every video or you’re just jumping in now, these techniques will help elevate your acrylic landscapes to the next level.
Ready to add the finishing touches? Grab your brushes, and let’s paint!
I hope you enjoyed this series. You can click HERE to get the playlist for the entire series if you missed any of it.
Ready to Paint? Here’s What I Used in This Video
- Cadmium Yellow Med
- Cadmium Orange Med
- Cadmium Red Med
- Hookers Green
- Burnt Sienna
- Burnt Umber
- Ultramarine Blue
- Dioxazine Purple
- Turquoise Deep
- Lime Green
- Alizarin Crimson
- Titanium White
Links if you need supplies:
- Blick Acrylic Student grade paint https://shrsl.com/47480
- Brushes. https://shrsl.com/43kls
- Stretched Canvas https://shrsl.com/43klg
- Water Basin. https://shrsl.com/43km7
- Spray bottle. https://shrsl.com/43km8
For A Full Beginners Painting Course
Click HERE