Creating the illusion of distance in your paintings

I call this method "silhouette into the mist" and invented this method when teaching watercolour techniques at a beginner’s art class. This method of painting allows you to create the illusion of distance. Imaine we are in front of some mountains. I like to use two brushes for the mountains. One brush is loaded up with paint and “draws in the silhouette edge and the other brush is damp and “pulls” or invites the colour to run into it and become lighter in tone, thereby creating the “mist in the valley” effect. When you drive towards mountains you often see the silhouette edge and then there is mist in the valley – hence the name.