How to Paint Mountains With Acrylics: 5 Easy Steps for Beginners
To paint mountains with acrylics, paint the sky first, add a pale distant ridge, and build darker mountain shapes in front. Give the nearest peak a light side and a shadow side, then finish with a few ridges, snow patches or foreground details.
Start with one distant ridge and one larger mountain. You can practice the whole scene on acrylic painting paper with a few colors and ordinary brushes. Choose the direction of the light before adding shadows so the mountain faces look connected.
What Do You Need to Paint Mountains With Acrylics?
Set out these supplies:
- Acrylic painting paper: Choose paper made for acrylic paint and lay it flat on a protected table.
- Acrylic paints: Blue, white and brown are enough for this practice scene. Green is optional for foreground grass.
- Paintbrushes: Use a wider brush for the sky and mountain shapes, plus a smaller pointed brush for narrow marks.
- A mixing surface: Leave room for light, middle and dark mixtures.
- Water and paper towels: Rinse between colors and blot extra water from the bristles.
- A reference photo: Choose a mountain scene with a clear outline and visible light and shadow areas.
Before starting, mix three shades: a pale blue-gray for the distant ridge, a middle shade for the nearer mountain, and a darker mixture for shadows. Add brown to blue a little at a time to soften a strong blue. Test the mixtures on spare paper because paint colors vary.
How to Paint Mountains With Acrylics Step by Step
Step 1: Paint the Sky First
Paint a pale blue sky with broad strokes. Add more white toward the lower part of the sky if you want a gentle color change.
Keep the paint layer controlled and blend while the colors are still wet. Stop brushing if the paint starts to drag, then let it dry before adding the mountains.
For smoother color changes, follow our guide on how to blend acrylic paint.
Step 2: Add the Distant Mountain Ridge
Use your palest mountain mixture to paint a low ridge across part of the scene. Vary the height of the peaks and the width of the slopes.
Fill the shape with a thin, even layer. Keep the color close to the sky color so this ridge stays quiet in the background.
Leave out tiny rocks and sharp snow lines at this stage. A simple outline and a few changes in shape are enough for the distant layer. Let it dry before painting the next ridge.
Step 3: Build the Closer Mountain Shapes
Paint a larger mountain in front of the pale ridge using your middle shade. Overlap part of the distant shape while leaving some of it visible.
Give the closer mountain an uneven outline. Include a taller peak, a lower shoulder and a few changes in slope.
Use broad strokes to fill the mountain. Keep the main shape clear before adding surface marks, then let the layer dry.
Step 4: Separate the Light and Shadow Areas
For this exercise, place the light at the upper left. Paint a lighter mixture on the mountain face turned toward that light. Keep the opposite face darker.
Follow the slope with angled strokes. Let some marks join into larger shapes so the mountain has broad faces as well as smaller ridges.
Keep the shadow areas visible as you add lighter paint. A few changes between light and dark can give the peak shape without covering it in detail.
Step 5: Add Details and Foreground
Add a few broken lighter strokes along selected ridges. Use a smaller brush for narrow marks and vary their length.
Place most of these details on the nearer mountain. Keep the distant ridge simpler so the layers remain separate.
Finish with a narrow strip of ground, a few grass marks or a small tree near the lower edge. For a pine-tree addition, follow our guide on how to paint trees with acrylics.
How Do You Make Acrylic Mountains Look Distant?
For a hazy daylight scene, use paler colors, smaller differences between light and dark, and fewer details on the mountains farthest away.
Build the depth in three ways:
- Change the shades: Keep the back ridge lighter and the nearer mountain darker.
- Overlap the shapes: Let the closer mountain cover part of the ridge behind it.
- Control the details: Save the clearest ridges and strongest shadows for the nearer peak.
Compare the mountain layers before adding more paint. If both have the same shade, adjust one layer and let it dry before continuing.
For arranging mountains, sky and foreground in one scene, see our acrylic landscape painting guide.
How Do You Paint Snow on Acrylic Mountains?
Paint snow as irregular patches that follow the slopes. Leave some darker rock visible between the patches.
- Let the mountain layer dry.
- Use a pale blue-gray mixture to block in the snow shapes.
- Add a few lighter marks to the areas facing the light.
- Keep cooler, darker areas where the snow falls into shadow.
Vary the lower edges of the snow patches. Some can extend farther down the mountain, while others remain close to the peak.
If every patch becomes equally bright, add a little of the cooler mixture back into selected areas. Keep the brightest paint for a few lit edges.
Why Do Acrylic Mountains Look Flat?
Mountains can look flat when every ridge has the same shade, the peaks repeat one shape, or the light and shadow areas are unclear.
Step back from the paper occasionally. Check whether you can still separate the sky, distant ridge, main mountain and foreground.
Try a Guided Mountain Painting Project
For a complete mountain artwork with its own video lesson, view the Alpine Morning Painting Kit.
Painting4Real kits include an 8×10 painting sheet, acrylic paints, brushes and a printed card with access details for the matching lesson. Use the card’s password and directions to open your project video, then pause or replay stages as you paint.
Follow the matching lesson’s colors and sequence for your chosen kit artwork. The exercise above gives you a separate scene for practicing mountain shapes and depth.
Browse the acrylic painting kits collection for more designs. Use the product page’s Buy on Amazon button to order.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. What colors do I need to paint mountains with acrylics?
Start with blue, white and brown, then add green if you want grass in the foreground.
Q2. Should I paint the sky or mountains first?
Paint the sky first and let it dry before adding the mountain shapes.
Q3. How do I make mountains look farther away?
Use paler shades, less contrast and fewer details on the distant ridges.
Q4. Do I need a painting knife to paint mountains?
No. You can paint mountain shapes, shadows and broken highlights with brushes.
Q5. Can I paint mountains on acrylic painting paper?
Yes. Use paper made for acrylic paint and avoid soaking it with water.