Paint an Atmospheric Windmill Scene with Golden Sun & Blue Mist

1. Welcome to the class: Hello. My name is Evgenia, and today we will paint a picturesque windmill in the mist. Together, we'll learn how to combine different tints and create a smooth, luminous gradient. This class is perfect for all levels and will help you unlock the secrets of watercolur paper and paint for truly stunning results. Will also learn how to build a color palette using just three colors to achieve soft natural tones. We will also explore simple materials that add beautiful texture to your artwork. After masking the sun without using masking fluid, we will paint a magical misty gradient and finish the piece with fine details to create a glowing landscape and golden light. I've been professional artists for many years, focusing exclusively on watercolors. I've always been captivated by the magic of this medium. I started to paint when I was a child, but as I grew, I had no idea how to improve or how to create effect that I wanted. I didn't know any of the techniques or how to use them. Now I've taken part in exhibitions and been fortunate enough to win rewards from such highly regarded organizations as International Watercolor Society, Helvetat light space time. Archo International and Royal talents. Watercolor can be challenging to manage for those who start to use this medium, which is why it's my intention to help you to enjoy watercolors and to learn it in an easy and fun way. In the step by step lessons, you can see the hunt and brush movements clearly from different points of view. We will explore versatile and fundamental watercolor techniques that you can use in all your paintings and sketches. The approach of my classes is to start with an easy wash. As we proceed with the painting, step by step, we will arch more details completing the artwork. If you have any struggles or difficulties along the way, you can start a discussion and I will read and respond to all your questions. Remember to hit the follow button next to the class title, just below the video. By doing so, you'll stay updated and be among the first to receive updates on my upcoming classes and exclusive giveaways. Discover free watercolor tips and tutorials by following me on Instagram and YouTube. Jump to the next lesson, and let's start painting. 2. Your project: Okay. Before we begin with the class, I want to thank you for joining me today. Let's discuss our project. In the resource section, you'll discover my completed painting as a helpful reference, along with pencil drawing that you can trace. You have the freedom to select your own object to paint or to closely follow my painting as a guide. Additionally, you'll find a reference photo and a selection of other images that can serve as inspiration for your very own artwork. It's a great pleasure for me to give my students feedback. So after you put so much effort on your artwork, why not share it? You can do it by taking a photo of your painting and share it in the Student Project Gallery under the project and Resources tab. I'd love to hear all about your painting process if you had any difficulties or what was the most enjoyable part of the painting process. Upload your artwork by clicking Submit Project on the project and Resources tab. Upload a cover image. It can be your artwork photo, but it will be cropped. No worries. You can upload a full photo father. Share your thoughts about the class and your painting process. Under the field where you write, you can find three small icons. Click on the first one, image, and upload your artwork. You can see your photo appearing under your text. Scroll to the top and click on the button published to share your project. If you have any struggles or questions during the class, please start a discussion, and I will be sure to answer your questions. I highly encourage you to explore the work of your fellow students in the student project gallery. Viewing other creations can be truly inspiring. And also to receive support can be incredibly reassuring. Therefore, please consider engaging by liking and leaving comments on each other's project. If you find this class too easy or too difficult, you can choose from my different classes available for learning varied watercolor skills. Approach of my classes is to start with an easy wash. As we proceed with the painting, step by step, we will arch more details completing the artwork. Remember to hit the follow button next to the class title, just below the video. By doing so, you'll stay updated and be among the first to receive updates on my upcoming classes and exclusive giveaways. Jump to the next lesson and let's prepare our colors and color mixes. 3. Colour Palette - Colours & Colour Mixes: Let's prepare our colors and color mixes. The three colors we'll use are beautifully mixable and give you a wide range of tones and shades with very little effort. These colors are indigo, rose red, such as a sarin crimson or Mer lake and yellow ocha Mina from Vangg watercolors, but the brand doesn't matter. If you have the right hues, you'll perfectly set. Why did I choose these three colors? After hours of experimenting, I found that this trio can create an exceptionally rich dark mix deep enough to replace black and offers a full spectrum of natural tones, shades and tints. Using only three colors also brings harmony to a series of paintings, especially if you create several small pieces. For example, this painting was made with these three colors and fits beautifully with others in the series. Another piece painted with different pigments looks noticeably bluer, simply because the colors were different. Color appearance also depends on the paper. These two sheets have slightly different tones. One is warmer, the other cooler, even though I use the exact same colors for both paintings. Papers vary in whiteness. So like Cleo Fontaine, are extra white while others like arches have a natural creamy tone. The same colors will look different on these papers. Notice how the blue appears here, much cooler and brighter on pure white paper than on natural white. Let's begin. You can download the blank sword sheet to print on thicker paper and fill in yourself or use it as a template. A finished colour palette sheet is also attached in the class. We'll start with our first colour, rose red, such as a isaran crimson or Mer leg diluted with plenty of water to create a gentle pink. Next is yellow ochre, a beautiful earthy yellow I use often. Add lots of water to create a soft light yellow. The third color is indigo, one of my favorites. Used concentrated. It behaves almost like black. With a little water, it becomes a deep dark blue, and when heavily diluted, it turns into indelicate natural light blue. Now let's mix our colours. Mix rose red and indigo to create a lovely purple. Add more indigo for a cooler reddish dark blue. Adding highly concentrated indigo stretched from the tube or with very little water will give you an extremely rich dark color, almost black with a warm undertone. In the next column, we'll mix a sarin crimson and yellow Oca. This mix gives you a beautiful reddish brown. Add more yellow oca and you'll get a wonderful earthy orange brown. To the same mix, add a touch of indigo for a deeper balanced brown. In the last column, we'll mix indigo and yellow Oca. Mix these two colors to create a beautiful olive green. Add more indigo for a cool blue green. For the last switch, increase the amount of saturated indigo and just a little yellow ocha to create a very dark cool tone, almost black, but with a cool undertone. We're now ready with our color palette. So let's jump to the next lesson and start painting. To 4. Painting the Sky Gradient, Mist and Foreground: We start by soaking the drawing in water until the paper becomes flexible. After that, play the wet drawing on a damp tea towel and gently smooth it flat using a flat brush. Now we are ready to paint our picturesque meal in the mist. For this project, you'll need salt fine or coarse. We'll add salt to the wet foreground later to create beautiful texture in the darker areas. Let's begin. As with all misty landscapes, we'll paint a blurry background and a more defined foreground. It's always wise to start with the background first. In our composition, the sun should remain bright white. But what if you forget to mask it before painting? Do you need to stop, dry paper, and start again? You could, but let me show you another way. We'll temporarily mask the sun using a small piece of paper tissue. Since this is a small painting, make the tissue tiny enough to cover the sun. With some yellow ocha, paint gently around the sun. You can live the tissue in a place a little longer than I do. This helps absorb extra moisture so the color doesn't bleat into the white. I'll remove mine now. Next, add a touch of rose red to your yellow ochre to create a light orange tone and apply it broadly to the sky. Mix in a little more rose red for a rosier orange and paint the lower part of the sky behind the grasses. For deeper color, add more yellow to the rose red for a richer orange and apply it to the bottom of the sky. Now take pure rose red and paint the mist. It will appear quite pink at first, but don't worry. Water colours always dry lighter. Take the orange mix from your palette and blend the yellow sky and pink wash together. Then with clean yellow, smooth the transitions by lightly brushing over the edges. Add a hint of pink to the left behind the grasses and softly diffuse it into the previous orange. Use a little more orange to strengthen the sky where needed. Now outline the sun softly. Add more orange above the pink on the right and color the meal with the same warm tone. I paint in short steps, gradually darkening the gradient. This keep the transition soft, the color smelt into the paper. Now it's time to introduce some blues. Mix indigo with a bit of rose red to make a soft violet blue. And apply it to the right side behind the grasses. Add slightly more rose red to make it purpler and paint above the blue. With diluted rose red, gently blend the purple into the pink using the tip of your brush and light strokes. Next, mix a rich indigo and draws red for a deep purple blue tone and paint the foreground. Use rough uneven strokes to suggest texture. You'll now see the bluish mist in the background emerging beautifully. While the foreground is still wet, sprinkle a few salt crystals to create texture. Now take a fine brush with long bristles, like a rig brush or a small detail brush, lotd with the same dark mix and playfully paint grasses in different directions using only the tip for fine delicate lines. Since the paper is damp, these strokes will dry softly blurt adding to the feeling of distance and mist. Notice how beautifully the salt is already beginning to work. Let the painting dry completely to allow the salt to do its job. 5. Painting Details & Adding Finishing Touches: Once your paper is fully dry, we'll add depth and definition to complete our artwork. Take your dark mix again and with the tip of a fine brush paint individual grasses. Make sure there is no excess watch on your brush, dab it lightly on a tissue before painting. Add the strokes playfully and gently, barely touching the paper until all the grasses are complete. Mix rose red, yellow ocha and a drop of indigo to create a warm brown. Lightly wet the meal with clean water. Then apply the mix with a fine brush. Clean your brush, boil the excess water, and gently diffuse the lower edge of the meal into the background. Add a slightly more saturated brown to outline the roof and structure. Then with a clean damp brush, soften the edges between the new and previous colours for a smooth transition. Draw the construction lines in brown. Use a diluted brown, yellow mix for the final line that fades softly into the mist. Use a thin brush and short strokes for the male's wings. And use a light golden brown to paint the wing that catches the sunlight. O when everything is dry, apply a light, transparent brownish wash to even out the tones of the meal. Clean your brush and soften the lower edge of the applied color to blend it naturally into the background. As a final touch, add some grasses in a lighter golden brown to enhance perspective. And a few tiny white dots with a gel pen for texture and sparkle. Congratulations on completing this beautiful, misty landscape with a picturesque meal. If you enjoyed the class, I would be really grateful for getting your review it. I hope to see your artwork after you put so much hard work in it, and I love to hear all about your painting process if you had any difficulties or what was the most enjoyable part of the painting process? Share your artwork in the StudentPject gallery by clicking on Submit Project under the Project and Resources tab. Every piece of art, no matter the level, represents time, effort, and personal expression. But most importantly, it's a part of your artistic journey. It's a visual record of your growth as an artist. If you have any questions, I'm happy to respond and to help. Just post your thoughts in a discussion thread. If you prefer to share your artwork on Instagram, please tag me. I would love to see you painting. Skillshare would also love to see the artworks of my students. So please tag them as well. I hope you enjoyed the class and found it inspiring. I'm looking forward to seeing your beautiful artworks in the project gallery. Bye for now and see you soon.