Author: Martin (1 Articles)

Subject Matter:

Firstly you will need a subject to paint. I always work from photographs, usually that I have taken on my travels. If you can’t get out to take photographs I find that the photo section on Weather Underground is an excellent source for inspirational landscape and seascape images.

Tools & Materials Required:

1/ You will need a fairly heavy weight watercolor paper, any local arts & crafts store will be able to point you in the right direction.
2/ You will need a selection of brushes, I find that I usually just need one wide brush (2″ wide) for laying down flat color and washes, and then a brush with a fine point, you will also need an old fine point brush (see step 7)
3/ A simple dish cleaning sponge works great for laying washes of color.
4/ Two water jars filled with clean water (one for cleaning brushes and the other as a supply for your painting.)
5/ A small set of good quality watercolor paints. I always use Windsor & Newton and think they are the best available.
6/ A sharp pencil and a fine line ink pen.
7/ Artists masking fluid and an old fine point brush.
8/ A large roll of kitchen paper.
9/ An artists eraser.

Getting Started:

1/ To get started you need to select the subject matter and sit with it printed out in front of you or on a computer screen.
2/ Loosely sketch the horizon line (where the sky meets the ground) right across the canvas.
3/ Again loosely sketch in the rough detail of any houses, hills, boats, people etc. (Don’t sketch these in too deeply and do not be afraid to bend the truth! You can use your “artistic license”.)
4/ Using an old fine point brush simply paint in any strong foreground objects with the artists masking fluid such as boats, people etc.
5/ Once the basic scene is sketched in and your foreground objects are painted in using the masking fluid you can begin to apply some colored washes.
5a/ Wet the sponge with clean water and wipe it across the entire canvas several times to saturate the canvas. Wipe of any excessively shiny areas with kitchen paper.
5b/Mix an appropriate shade of blue for the sky and water it down slightly with some clean water. Use plenty of pigment as the wash will dilute somewhat when applied. Make sure you mix plenty, probably will need twice as much as you expect. Load up your dish sponge with the mix and starting at the top of the page simply swipe from side to side working your way down the page stopping at your horizon line.
5c/ Repeat this process for the ground or water at the bottom of your picture just work your way from the base of the canvas back up to the horizon line.
6/ Let the washes dry out completely and don’t be too worried if they look streaky at first. The streak lines with blend together as the picture dries.
7/ Once the wash layers are completely dry you can use the artists eraser to rub away the masking fluid to reveal white canvas beneath.
8/ Now you can paint in the detail and lay thicker washes over your background to begin building some foreground layers. Remember to look at the subject matter just as much as you stare at your canvas. Try and divide your time 50/50 between looking at what you paint and your subject image.
9/ Finish the painting by outlining any buildings, people, boats etc. in black ink. The ink will make the objects really pop of the canvas but use this effect sparingly and keep stepping back from the painting to check you don’t go overboard!

The Finished Product:

You should now have your very own watercolor. Don’t be discouraged if your first attempt doesn’t look perfect. Just keep trying and trying.

I find that any watercolor looks 100% better when placed in a nice frame. Don’t be afraid to take your artwork to a framers, Michaels will frame any painting for you.

Now you can hang your artwork proudly on a wall at home or in the office!