Ross's approach is probably closest to instant gratification: the scenes are intentionally designed to be easy, quick, and striking.
Water color can also be instant gratification, but you can't really paint over mistakes, unlike oils (if you wait for them to dry).
Looking online, people's early Ross-clone works are not so hot, but practice makes perfect. I would suggest picking one segment of a scene, such as part of mountain, and keep trying until you perfect it.
Take a break from the sub-scene for a few days so that you revisit it with a fresh viewpoint. Maybe rotate sub-scenes to rework. Staring at the same thing too long in one sitting can dampen one's objectivity, I've found. This applies to writing also.
Keep in mind that Ross used to crank out such paintings for Alaskan tourist shops en masse. He has the experience of many thousands of paintings, making it look easier than it is. I'm sure his first dozen were clunkers or took a while.
I would suggest picking one segment of a scene, such as part of mountain, and keep trying until you perfect it.
I remember Ross doing a training video along these lines... the resulting painting at the end was not one whole scene, but a bunch of discrete components: trees, mountains, water, etc.
I did a few paintings in his technique years ago. I was surprised at how easy it was to produce something decent.
> Staring at the same thing too long in one sitting can dampen one's objectivity, I've found. This applies to writing also.
This definitely applies to photography. I'll spend two hours processing a photo, think it looks great, leave it and come back the next day. I'm invariably horrified at how overdone it looks and turn everything down to 50%. Then it's ready.
Water color can also be instant gratification, but you can't really paint over mistakes, unlike oils (if you wait for them to dry).
Looking online, people's early Ross-clone works are not so hot, but practice makes perfect. I would suggest picking one segment of a scene, such as part of mountain, and keep trying until you perfect it.
Take a break from the sub-scene for a few days so that you revisit it with a fresh viewpoint. Maybe rotate sub-scenes to rework. Staring at the same thing too long in one sitting can dampen one's objectivity, I've found. This applies to writing also.
Keep in mind that Ross used to crank out such paintings for Alaskan tourist shops en masse. He has the experience of many thousands of paintings, making it look easier than it is. I'm sure his first dozen were clunkers or took a while.