Introduction
Welcome to this step-by-step guide on creating a simple summer landscape using watercolors. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced artist, this tutorial will teach you valuable watercolor techniques that you can apply to any painting. My name is Shreya from India, and I’m excited to share my love and knowledge of watercolors with you. Let’s dive in and start painting!
Supplies
Before we begin, make sure you have the following supplies:
- 8″ by 5.5″ watercolor paper
- Watercolor brushes: size 14 and one liner brush
- Watercolors (ultramarine blue, Indigo, sap green, may green, naple yellow, yellow ocher, payne’s gray)
- White paint
- 2 jars of water
- Rough cloth/tissue
- Palette to mix colors
- Pencil, eraser, and masking tape
Step 1: Sketch Your Landscape Composition
To start, let’s sketch the composition of our landscape. Leave 2/3 of the paper for the sky and the remaining bottom area for the land. Apply masking tape on all sides of the paper to secure it. Begin by lightly sketching small mountains at the bottom and a river stream between them.
Step 2: Prepare Colors and Wet the Paper
As we’ll be using the wet-on-wet technique for the sky, it’s best to prepare the colors beforehand. Mix 50% Paynes gray with 50% white gouache or watercolor for the shadows in the clouds. For the sky, mix 80% ultramarine with 20% white. Wet the sky area to the desired level of wetness.
Step 3: Paint the Cloud’s Shadow
Tilt your paper at a 30-degree angle to allow the colors and water to flow downward. Apply the mixed gray color on the wet paper, leaving gaps between the clouds.
Step 4: Paint the Sky and Water Stream
After painting the cloud shadows, apply the blue color to the wet paper, leaving white gaps near the shadows. Dilute the blue color with water to paint the water stream.
Step 5: Paint the Background Mountains
Start painting the layers of mountains and the foreground using different shades of green. Use yellow ochre to lighten the greens and indigo to darken them. Let each layer dry before moving on to the adjacent mountain.
Step 6: Add Foreground Details
Using a liner brush or size 1 brush, add tiny grasses, bushes, and trees in different shades of green. Take your time with this step to achieve a phenomenal end result.
Step 7: Add Splatters for Interest
Cover the sky area with paper or tissue before adding splatters. Use a smaller brush to tap on paint-loaded brushes, creating small splatters. Repeat this step with different colors like sap green, yellow ochre, and naples yellow.
Step 8: Remove the Masking Tape
Allow the painting to dry completely. Once dry, remove the masking tape at an angle away from the paper to avoid tearing. And there you have it! A beautiful summer day landscape painting using watercolors.
Thank you for painting along with me. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and learned some valuable techniques. Now it’s your turn to have fun and create your own masterpiece. Don’t forget to share your work with me by tagging me. Until next time!
About the Author
Shreya is a full-time artist, Art Educator, YouTuber, and Skillshare teacher from India. Her preferred medium is watercolors due to its free-flowing nature. She draws inspiration from nature and loves painting landscapes, seascapes, florals, the night sky, and more. Through her work and teachings, Shreya aims to bring peace and joy to others. Follow her on Instagram for more tutorials and inspiration.
