Aerial Perspective

The tones and colors of things in the distance cannot be the same tones and colors as
those same things in the foreground. Aerial Perspective is an effect that we get by lightening the tone and diminishing the color of things that are farther away from your point of view.

To help you recognize how different the tones and colors of foreground things and distant things are . . . look at a place of a subject in the foreground, which means the up-and-down plane of a barn or a tree, and actually paint a spot of that tone in the foreground of your canvas. Now, look at something in the distance that is also up and down, such as a mountain, and paint a spot of that tone in the upper part of the canvas.

These two tones will act as the control for all the colors from far to near and improve the appearance of aerial perspective.

Some of us hate to even think about perspective, but when you are painting outdoors, it is so much easier if you have this reference. We all will be thinking about painting outdoors now that the good weather is coming. Hope this tip helps with your Aerial Perspective.