How to Paint a Farm Scene | Acrylic Painting Tutorial

Learn how to paint a farm scene with acrylics in this painting tutorial. Artist Ashley Krieger is traveling and painting in all 50 U.S. states. Today she takes you to Indiana to capture a farm with an old tractor.  I hope you learn a lot and enjoy this video as she paints plein air.

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While we were in Indiana we saw fields and fields of corn, soybeans, and hay. Since there were so many farms I decided I wanted to paint an old tractor. We drove all over the Plymouth and Napanee area trying to find an old tractor for two evenings, almost giving up, before we finally found one parked for the night after cutting the hay.

It happened to be just a block away from where we were staying. It was too late by the time we found it, so we left hoping it would be there the next evening. To my surprise, and delight, it was there when I returned the following evening, in a better position, parked as if posing for me to paint it. This is how it works with me. Somethings are just around the corner and I don't know it. Nothing comes easy. But the long way around does finally pay off. So I'm calling this one the "long ride" because just like our long ride to find this tractor and cutting hay all day, for days, a long ride leads to great things and a job well done. ​

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Learn to Paint a Tractor on a Farm

You can find the acrylic art supplies use here. I also used metallic gold and silver Liquitex heavy body acrylic paints. Watch the tutorial to see what colors I used and when. ​​

Watch the Tutorial

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Steps to Painting Your Own Farm and Tractor Painting

Step 1 - Paint in your sky with a wide flat brush and white and blue paint. Paint it at the top 2.5- 3" of your canvas. 

Step 2 - Paint the trees in the distance. Combine your green with the blue paint from your sky. Paint the trees across the canvas.

Step 3- Paint the next level of trees with more detail and large brush strokes. Use colors to add contrast such as dark green for the shadows and light green for the highlight from the sun. Be creative! You can use several different colors. 

Step 4 - Paint the middle grounds field green under your trees making a line across. 

Step 5 - Paint the under layer of the field in the foreground green and the brush strokes going in the same direction of your hay rows.

Step 6 - Paint in the shadow of your hay rows using a dark color, such as bronze, purple, black. 

Step 7 - Add the highlight or hay color over the shadowed rows with gold, yellows and white. Use a dry brush to get the hay texture. 

Step 8 - Paint your tractor.

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