Watercolour Tutorial

I have often been asked how I paint a certain subject. So in the best Blue Peter tradition, here is one I made earlier! I hope you find the stages shown in the production of a finished painting is useful, and practice on your own compositions to achieve similar results.

Choice of Materials

I am also asked about what materials to use, I would answer, always buy the best you can afford. Whilst todays student range materials are of good quality I find that buying Artist Quality materials works out cheaper in the long run, as they are considerably more pigment rich. The same with brushes, sables are a lot more expensive, but, if looked after will last a lifetime, and are much nicer to work with. Watercolour painting is difficult enough without having to battle against inferior materials. Paper is perhaps a little more personal in choice. If you are just starting out, then a 140lb Bockingford is a good basic choice. Later on you can try some different makes and weights until you settle on one which suits your style.

These are the materials I used for this painting. Paper 140lb (300gsm in new money!) Langton Rough. Palette used, all Artist Quality paints, Ultramarine Blue, Light Red, Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Cadmium Yellow, Transparent Yellow.

Step 1

Now this was an imaginery scene based on an earlier painting, so not much thought needed for composition. Lightly draw placing of main elements, and apply initial washes of base colours. This establishes where we are going for later on. The secret of a believable painting is about tonal values, or how dark or light something is, as we try to create an impression of distance.

The beauty of watercolour is transparency, and every effort should be made to let the light of the paper glow through the paint. To this end the choice of colours in your palette will affect this. The information on transparency is marked on the paint tube, together with lightfastness ratings (will it fade very much). In my palette for this painting there are a couple of non transparent colours, but when they are applied very thinly and carefully they can appear transparent.

Step 2

Apply further washes to build up tone, remembering to leave light patches where lighter toned foliage will stand out against the dark of the trunks and branches. We are aiming for a steady build up of colour that remains under our control. Don't forget that watercolour will dry lighter than it first appears, particularly with darker colours.

A regards to the mixing of colours and the selction for one's choice of colours for your palette, I can suggest the book 'Blue and yellow don't make green' by Michael Wilcox. This book transformed my colour mixing some years ago, and I recommend it as a worthwhile read for any artist.

Step 3

More work on light washes, gradually building up variations in colour and tone. Taking particular note, that if using a warm colour in the background, ie light red, it will need to be pale, and also subdued slightly by blue to give the feeling of recession. When painting warm coloured foliage in backgrounds you have to be careful that the warmth of the colour does not push it into the foreground. Warm colours will always appear to come forward and cool colours recede. At this stage I usually put an unglazed frame and mount that I keep for the purpose, around the picture to check that the composition is correct and it all looks OK.

Step 4

More additional washes with slightly stronger mixes in the foreground so as to get the correct tonal values. Needless to say each preceeding wash has to be dry and subsequent washes are applied very lightly. Whilst this is a slow process it does give you control over tonal values, you can always add another wash to strengthen things.

Start detailing the foliage with slightly dryer and stronger mixes of paint, this is also done in layers to build up texture. Just make sure you don't stir up the dry underlying layers so you keep the transparency, and don't worry if bits are missed, it all adds to the texture, and interest in the finished work.

You can of course paint the correct tonal value at one go, if you are expert at gauging the mixture strength. Edward Wesson was a master at this, but regrettably I am a lesser mortal who takes the slow steady approach. Remember it is the finished result that counts in the final analysis, not your methods. If you can produce a good painting by scuffing the paint on with an old sock, then that's fine if the picture is good!

Step 5

Finish off the foliage, this is a slow process for me, as I use very small brushes, but you can use other techniques, like a sponge or dry brushwork if you wish. The drawback to using a sponge is that the foliage can look repetitive. Just take it slow and steady. It's easier to add than remove. As my old woodwork master used to say "Measure twice, cut once"

Step 6

Final adjustments to tonal values in some areas, perhaps strengthen some darks to give it some punch, and we're done.

Step 7

Presenation is everything as they say. Mounting and Framing your work will always show it to its best so take care on that as well. You can leave this to your local framer or have the satisfaction of doing it yourself, with some lining and perhaps a washline as well, but that's something for later.

I hope you found this tutorial useful, and it gives you some guidance in producing your own works of art. The original of this painting has been sold but signed Limited edition prints are available, just follow the link below.