Hey everyone, Merry Christmas I just wrapped up writing a new guide: Mastering Tonal Values: The Foundation of Professional Landscape Painting. It's something I wish I'd had when I was starting out: a clear explanation of why values matter more than colour, how to create depth using atmospheric perspective, and Carlson's 4-zone system for organising any landscape. Download it here - completely free: https://www.skool.com/painters-hub/classroom/e0acdf28?md=c64165c13595427c8f9515735383fd97 Read it, and let me know what you think in the comments. I hope it helps you with your paintings Happy painting Samuel

Hey Artists Struggling with forest scenes? You're not alone. Layers of foliage, glowing light through leaves, transparent water, rocks, dense detail... forest landscapes can feel completely overwhelming. But here's the thing: once you understand the right approach, even the most complex forest scenes become manageable. Check out this YouTube video where I paint a challenging forest landscape step-by-step, showing you exactly how to tackle all those intimidating elements without getting lost in the details. After 20+ years of painting landscapes and many years teaching thousands of students, I've learned that the secret isn't trying to paint everything you see, it's understanding the fundamentals that make ANY forest scene work. Watch it here 👇 Cheers Sam P.S. Want to go deeper with full-length real-time lessons and structured training? Check out my Art School, where I teach my complete systematic approach to landscape painting: https://www.skool.com/samuel-earp-online-art-school/about

Sam suggested that I post my painting /first picture/ that I had questions about and some references / I don’t have much, it’s mostly in my head after visiting a real place/ for a community to view and critic. I would appreciate your opinions. Thanks,, Tanya

Oil on 12x16 stretched canvas. Remembering my youth in central PA. This painting is from a composite of several photos.

From a trip to the Great Smokies National Park. Oil on 12” x16” stretched canvas.