Rural landscape painting ideas

The countryside is a wonderful source of creative inspiration—think rolling hills, lush pastures, and wide open skies. To help spark your imagination, we’ve put together 13 ideas for rural landscape painting that will get your brushes moving while the sun is shining. Let’s step outside!

1. Turn a sketch into a painting

A hand holding a sketchbook with a watercolor painting of a country farmhouse.

You don’t need a large canvas to start creating. A simple sketch can easily be transformed into a watercolor painting. Begin with pencil lines, refine them with a fine liner, and then bring your artwork to life with color.

2. Experiment with layering

A textured rural scene featuring a blue, white, and pink sky and small trees.

Swap brushes for a palette knife and explore what textures you can create. Artist Jayde Chandler layers and scratches back her paint to add dimension and interest to open landscapes. The countryside’s vast spaces make it perfect for experimenting with texture.

3. Shift the focus

An impressionist-style painting of a tractor, hay bales, and an old farmhouse.

Rural landscapes don’t have to just show scenery—they can capture life on the farm. Try including tractors, barns, or hay bales to make your painting more engaging.

4. Show life in the scene

A painting of a country house with a clothesline and jeans drying in the sun.

Adding a farmhouse and clothesline can make a landscape feel lived-in. Play with scale and perspective to bring your scene to life.

5. Try plein air painting

An oil painting of ten cows in a green field in an impressionist style.

If you’re lucky enough to have the countryside nearby, take your easel and paints outdoors! Work quickly to capture the light and scenery. If you prefer the studio, start with highlights and shadows outside or do a color study, then finish the details inside.

6. Brighten the scene with flowers

An easel holding a colorful rural landscape.

Landscapes don’t need to be just green. Add pops of color with flowers or local plants to break up large areas of greenery and make your painting more vibrant.

7. Include farm animals

A realistic painting of two sheep in a field with a farmhouse in the background.

Don’t forget friendly farm animals! Sheep, cows, ducks, or goats can add scale and interest. Place them in the foreground or background for variety.

8. Try gouache

A gouache rural landscape painted in a sketchbook, with two colored pencils nearby.

Landscapes are a great way to experiment with new mediums. Gouache offers a soft, matte finish and works beautifully for wide-open countryside scenes. Perspective techniques can enhance the feeling of space.

9. Take an abstract approach

An abstract watercolor rural landscape featuring dotted patterns.

Push your creativity by trying abstract landscapes. Use patterns, limit your color palette, or focus on shapes to make something fresh and modern.

10. Explore fields of green

A hand holding a painting of lush green fields under a soft blue sky.

Vary your brushstrokes and experiment with direction to bring harmony to wide-open fields. Use lighter shades for highlights to create depth and realism.

11. Add wildflowers

A country cottage with a colorful spring garden painted on canvas.

Include wildflowers or gardens to add color and a soft focus. Flowers can bring balance and harmony to your composition.

12. Create on the move

A hand holding a sketchbook with a gouache painting of green countryside.

If the countryside is a bit far, take a road trip and paint along the way! Travel-sized watercolor or gouache sets are perfect for quick studies or realistic scenes.

13. Focus on small details

An oil painting of cows grazing with a red barn and brick house in the background.

Fences, gates, ponds, and other small elements add realism and interest to your rural landscapes. Details help make your scene feel complete.

Now it’s your turn to pick up a brush and get painting! If you want more inspiration, check out our abstract landscape project or learn about the creative journey of rural artist Jayde Chandler.