Watercolor Cityscapes Made Simple: Loose & Detailed Techniques

1. Welcome to Class: Since it can feel overwhelming, there are so many buildings, details, windows, rooftops, and architectural elements that it's easy to feel stuck before even starting. But the good news is that convincing city scales don't require perfect perspective or draw every single detail. Hi, everyone. I'm Elina Watco artist and teacher. In this class, we'll paint atmosphere called Cctscae while learning how to simplify buildings without losing realism. I'll show you how to approach it scenes in a simpler and more intuitive way by focusing on three key ideas, atmosphere value and selective detail. We'll talk about how to decide what to simplify, how to create depths using aerial perspective and how to use edges and contrast to guide vis. Then we'll apply these ideas into step by step projects. The first project is modi monochrome Eiffel Tower scene. We we'll focus on atmosphere and suggestion rather than precise architectural detail. In the second project, we'll paint Galata Tower in Istanbul at Golden Hour, where we'll combine warm color harmonies, imp fed buildings to create a vibrant cityscape. This class is great for artists who already has no watercolor experience and won't feel more confident painting architecture and city scenes. So if cityscapes have ever felt intimidating to you, this class will show you a much more relaxed and enjoyable way to approach them. Let's get started. 2. Class + Project Overview: Take a quick look at what you're learning in this class. We'll start by talking about the real challenge of six caps and how to avoid the overwhelm that often comes with complex scenes. Then we'll go through a simple decision process that helps you approach any six c with more clarity, how to choose focal point, what to simplify, and where to add detail. Next, we'll look at aerial perspective and how it hells created using values, edges, and detail rather than complicated perspective rules. We'll also briefly talk about believable perspective and a few simple observations that help buildings look convincing without needing technical drawings. Then we'll explore edge control, which is one of the most powerful ways to guide the VRs in wat color. After that, we'll move on to the projects. First project is the Eiffel Tower scene where we'll work with a limited palette and focus on atmosphere and simplification. The second project is called Tower Cityscape where we'll combine warm golden hour colors with more detailed focal building and simplified surroundings. By the end of this class, you'll have to finish Cityscape paintings and a clear strategy for approaching architecture and at color. Let's begin with the materials and the colors for use in this class. 3. Materials: In this video, we'll go over the materials that I'll be using in this class. You don't need to have exactly the same materials. I'll give you some options and recommendations, starting with the paper, as this is the most important of all supplies. I highly recommend that you use 100% cotton paper for the projects in this class. Will allow you to implement all the techniques I demonstrate, while cell walls paper is more limiting when it comes to painting time and the techniques you can apply. If you still decide to use cell walls paper, just keep in mind that you may get different results, and some of the techniques might not work as well. In this class, I'll be using this blog by meden. It's 100% cotton paper and 300 GSM. Size is 12 by 9 ", but you can use whatever format you're comfortable with. I quite like this paper as its quality and performance are comparable to some of the top watercolor paper brands. I will tape it to this plastic. Cutting made with the help of some paper tape. This one is by supervision art, but a regular one from the hardware store will work just as well. As for the paints, there will be a separate video where I'll go over the colors and give you some options for substitutions. So make sure you watch the next video. Or now just know that whatever set of colors you have I love to use will work. This is my ceramic palette filled with my favorite most used colors. It's quite large, but I find it very comfortable to paint with. You will also need some white cash or white acrylic paint for one of the projects. Next, are the brushes. These are the brushes that I'll use in this class. First, let's have a look at these tree. These are by Princeton and come from their landscape set. The set also includes a liner brush, but we won't be needing it for this class. If you don't have these exact brushes, make sure you have a large brush to cover big areas, a medium sized brush, and a smaller one for details and small adjustments. Next, you'll need a synthetic flat brush that we're going to use for lifting and scrubbing. This one is biting trato, but any brand will do. The important thing is that the bristles are stiff and not freight. I will also use smaller version for smaller areas. If you're not familiar with the lifting ends, scrubing techniques, don't worry. There's a dedicated video for that, right after the colors video where you'll learn more about them. And last to the brushes is this hag brush by Jackson. I'll use it to blend colors whenever I need after transitions. If you don't have such a brush, just take whatever big soft brush you have, but keep it dry throughout the class. Don't use it for applank paint. Keep it aside and use it specifically for blending. The blending technique is also included in the techniques video, so if it doesn't make sense now, it definitely will after you watch it. You also need two jars of water, one to rinse your brush, and one for whenever we need clean water. Spray bottle is optional. I use it to activate my paint. You can also spray some water on your paper if it dries too fast. Cotton or paper towel, I love to use both, but either one is fine. And finally, a pencil and eraser for sketches. I'm using soft eraser and a mechanical pencil with a 0.5 B lead. And that's pretty much everything you'll need for this class. Head over to the next video to learn more about the colors you'll need. See you there. 4. Colors: In this video, I'll go over the colors we'll be using in this class. I'll show you the exact colors I'll be using and also suggest some substitutes. The most important thing to remember is that you don't need to have exactly the same colors. You can always adapt the palette using what you already have. For the Eiffel Tower project, we actually need just one color, but it should be a very dark one. A great option is paint gray. When it is concentrated, it can look almost black, and when diluted, it has a beautiful bluish tone. Another good option is Indigo. You could also use black, sepia, or any other color that becomes very dark when concentrated. In my painting, I'll mix paints gray and indigo together to make the color a little more interesting, but you can absolutely complete the project using just one dark color. For the second project, we'll start with the warm mooring sky. For my orange, I'll mix Npples yellow and pearl orange. I like this combination because my orange on its own is quite bright and fiery, while Nebels yellow softens it and creates more pastel and dreamy look. You can absolutely use whatever orange you already have or mix one yourself using yellow and red. Try different combinations and see which mixture you like the most. I also like to add transparent yellow to the orange mixture to make it brighter, warmer and more luminous. The next color I'll be using is Opera. I'll use it together with the next color on the list, Royal blue. If you don't have royal blue, you can use ultramarine or another blue and mix in a small amount of white quash to create a similar lavender tone. When these two are mixed together, they create a beautiful lavender shade, which we'll use for the clouds in the second project. We'll vary the ratio between the two colors so the clouds look more natural and interesting. We'll also use the royal blue on its own for some of the architectural elements in the painting. I will also use the laser in crimson, but again, mostly in combination with other colors. And the last color on the list is permanent brown. This one is reddish brown, but you can use any brown you already have. If you want similar reddish tone, you can simply mix a little red into your brown. In the project, we'll combine a seran crimson, permanent brown and Naples yellow to create soft brick color for the buildings. So these are all the colors that we'll be using in this class. Take a look at your palette and find the colors that are closest to this, or simply choose colors that help you or create a similar mood. In the next video, I'll demonstrate a few important techniques that we'll be using frequently throughout the class. See you there. 5. Techniques: Class, I'll use a few simple watercolor techniques repeatedly. If you're already familiar with them, you can skip this video, but if not, here's a quick overview to make sure you're all set for the projects. These techniques are a big part of my approach to painting cityscapes. They're not strictly necessary, but I find that they really help elevate the final look of the painting. The first technique I want to show you is blending. I use blending a lot for the background, but it can also be applied to any element that you want to merge seamlessly with its surroundings. I'll start by applying a few separate color spots that I'll blend in just a moment. There are different ways to blend in what color. And if you already have a preferred method, that's great. Here's the approach I like to use after applying the colors, and while they're still wet, I take a large soft brush. It's very important that the brush is completely dry. I like to use this hairbrush, but any large soft brush will work. I gently glide to brush over the colors to blend them together, start with the lattice color, and gradually move toward the darkest ones. You can blend in different directions or make small circular movements. As the brush picks up paint and moisture, wipe it on a napkin before continuing. Try not to press too hard to just move gently across the surface. This technique works beautifully for background, but it's also useful for blending clouds, softening the edge of trees or any element that you want to merge naturally into the background. Highlight this dry before showing you the next technique. The next technique is glazing. Glazing is applied on dry paper over an already dried layer of paint. It can be used to create subtle color shifts or add additional depth. To demonstrate I apply a layer of color over this dry area. Then I wash my brush very well. And with a clean, slightly damp brush, I soften deg this of the new layer so that the transition becomes smooth. I like to make such small circular movements while doing this. Glazing is very helpful when you want to slightly adjust the color of an area. For example, if I want this section to appear deeper or darker, I can simply apply another transparent color on top. Again, I soften digest until the transition becomes seamless. The last technique is lifting. For this one, I use a flat brush with stiffer bristles. Just like glazing, lifting is also applied to dry paint. I wet my brush, wipe the excess, water on the towel, and then gently scrub the surface of the dried paint. This reactivates the pigment and often allows us to lift some of the color, creating a highlight. The result depends a lot on the pigments and colors lift very easily while others are more permanent. That's why a brush with slightly stiffer bristles works best here. A very soft brush usually won't be able to leave the paint effectively. I use this technique frequently to soften dry edges, especially when painting architecture. For example, I can gently scrub along the edge of a building, and the hard line becomes softer. It's also very useful for straightening slightly crooked lines. This allows us to paint more freely at first without worrying too much about perfect edges because we can refine them later once the layer is dry. We'll practice all these techniques during the project, so don't worry if some of these feels a little abstract right now. You'll see them in action very soon. And one last thing, before we dive into the main part of the class, in the next video, we'll talk about the sketches. 6. Sketches: Let's talk about sketches. You can find the sketch in the reference photo in the download section of the class. There are a few ways you can approach them. One option is to download or simply open the images on your screen and recreate the sketch the way you usually do for Watco paintings. The other option is to trace the sketch directly onto your What C paper. What approaches have their strengths and weaknesses. If you create the sketch yourself, you practice your drawing skills, and you get familiar with the shapes, proportions, and structure of the buildings before you start painting. There's also a sense of satisfaction in completing the entire project completely on your own. The downside is that if you're not very confident with drawing architecture, the inaccuracies can change the final look of the painting, and it takes a lot of time of measuring and drawing if you want to do it correctly. That's why perceive scapes, I often prefer tracing. I don't consider it cheating. We're artists, not artict. My goal is to start with a clean and accurate sketch, so I can focus entirely on the painting process. Other thing to keep in mind is that Wat col paper doesn't handle erasing very well. No matter how gentle you are with a Wat color pencil and eraser, the surface can eventually get damaged. In an ideal world, I would sketch on a regular drawing paper first and then transfer the drawing using a light board to keep my W color paper thin. But in practice, I'd rather spend that time painting and developing my what color skills. So for projects like this, I usually trace the sketch directly over the screen of my Mbok. You'll need a darker room, maybe a bit of paper tape to hold your paper in place a pencil linear screen set to maximum brightness. You can also print the sketch or the reference photo and use the Suni window as a light box. Just that method that feels right for you. There is no word wrong here. It's your process and painting. The goal is to simply start with sketch that allows you to focus on what color techniques we'll explore in this class. 7. The Real Problem With Cityscapes: Cityscapes can feel incredibly confusing. I know I avoided them for quite a while precisely because of that overwhelming and not knowing where to start. I always felt that you almost needed an architectural education to paint them. But once I started exploring the topic more seriously, I noticed something interesting. There were many seescape paintings that I thought were absolutely beautiful, atmospheric and convincing. And when I would closer, many of them weren't technically precise. Perspective was sometimes slightly off. The lines weren't perfectly straight. Many of them were even painted free hand. So I started asking myself, what makes these paintings work so well despite not being perfectly accurate. What I discovered is that what makes it escapes convincing is not architectural precision. Much more important, are things like atmosphere values and the way we guide the view side. Atmosphere is created through colored, soft and hard edges, and through something called Terrell perspective, which we'll talk about in the next video. It's less about following strict perspective rules and more about how distance affects the way we see objects. Another important factor is value accuracy. Recreating the scene with believable light and dark values, soften mother is much more than getting every angle or architectural detail perfectly right. We'll practice value accuracy in the Eiffel Tower project later in the class. And there was one more thing I noticed in the paintings I admired most. They simplified the scene. None of them tried to recreate every single detail. They weren't photorealistic. They were paintedly expressive, vibrant and al and this is actually great news for all of us who feel overwhelmed by the amount of visual information as it seems not having to paint every single car, window or lamp post is incredibly free. So the question becomes, what should we simplify and what should we keep? Help answer that. I use three simple questions whenever I approaches scape. What is my focal point? The focal point is the area of the banking where you want the viewsi to go first. It's usually the most interesting or visually dominant element in the scene. You can often recognize it immediately in a reference photo. It might be a landmark building, striking shape, strong contrast, or a unique element that stands out from the rest. In today's project, for example, the focal points are very clear. DaffleTwer and the Gaut Tower. Everything else in the painting supports those elements. Once you identify the focal point, it becomes much easier to decide what to simplify and where to add detail. The second question is where will I simplify. You are absolutely allowed to simplify and omit elements in your paintings. You are the artist. You decide what stays and what goes. In general, it makes sense to simplify anything that doesn't carry important visual information. For example, in this painting, I simplified the texture of the wall. I didn't paint every single brick. I also painted the trees in a very loose way, focusing mostly on the color and on the contrast between soft distant shapes and sharper form elements to create depth. What matters here is the atmosphere of the scene, the ramming window and the lamp post, not the exact number of bricks around them. In this painting, I simplify the buildings a lot omitting many elements. This helped keep the painting fresh instead of overcrowded and overworked. Instead, I focus on the colors and values of the reflections in the water, which made the scene believable. And this one I simplified almost everything except the cathedral, the cathedral and the sky are the stars of the painting. So the surrounding buildings are painted much more loosely. Good rule of thumb is this. Anything that is not the focal point can usually be simplified. The third question is, where should I add more detail? This is usually the focal point. But even here, detail doesn't mean perfectly replicating reality. Often a few outplac marks can suggest detail without actually describing everything. Hard edges, stronger contrast and small texture marks can also suggest complexity and naturally draw the Vs. For example, in this painting, the most detail is around the window and the lamp. They are not hyperrealistic, but stronger contrast and stronger edges make them stand out. In this one, I focus the detail on the gondola and the reflection on the water surface. The buildings are simplified, which guides the viewers to what's important in the scene. And here, the cathedral receives the most attention because that is the my subject. So to summarize before starting a cityscape painting, ask yourself three questions. Where is my focus or what is the style of my painting? What can I simplify and where should I add detail? Focus, simplify, emphasize. These three decisions make the whole process much clearer and much less overwhelming. We'll apply this thinking in both projects in the class, so you can see how it works in practice. And now as promised, let's look at aerial perspective and how we can use it to make our CDs capes feel more believable and atmospheric. 8. Aerial Perspective: License will look at one of the most important tools for painting believable set scapes, aerial perspective. El perspective is simply the way distance affects how we see things. But objects are closer to us, we see them clearly. They appear darker, sharper and more detailed. But as objects move further away, the atmosphere between us and those objects softens them. They become lighter, less detailed, and their edges appear softer. This is something our eyes naturally understand when we look at the real world. We can use the same principle in our paintings to create a convincing sense of space. In what scapes, perspective is often more important than perfectly calculated linear perspective. Even if the angles of the buildings are not perfectly precise, if we control the values, edges and details, the scene will still feel believable. There for simple cues, we can use to create. Closer objects are darker, closer objects have sharper edges. Coser objects show more detail. And distant objects are lighter, softer and simpler and often in colder colors. Let me show you a very simple demonstration. Imagine three rows of buildings. The buildings in the foreground are darker and more defined. Their edges are sharp, and we can see more details. The buildings in the middle ground are a little lighter. The edges are slightly softer, and the details are simplified. And the buildings in the background are the lightest and softest of all. Their shapes are simple and their edges are blurred, the color lean more toward blue. Just by changing value edges in detail, we can create a strong sense of distance without drawing any complicated perspective lines. This is exactly the approach we use in the projects of this class. The focal points will have stronger contrast and clearer detail while the surrounding buildings will become softer and more simplified as they move away from us. In the next video, we'll briefly look at linear perspective and how we can use it in a simple way when painting buildings. COA. 9. Linear Perspective: This lesson will talk about linear perspective and it scapes. And it can sound intimidating. Many people immediately think about complex rules, vanishing points and grid. But when we're working in a atmospheric style, perspective doesn't need to be perfect. In most cases, it just needs to be convincing atmosphere call values and soft touches often hide mold perspective and perfections. So if a line is slightly off, it rarely ruins the painting. And let me prove it to you. When I showed you earlier this painting, did you notice that the perspective of this building is off? Probably not. You were most likely looking at the boat, the sky, and the reflection and glance really quickly over those distant buildings. Instead of focusing complicated perspective rules, I like to keep just a few simple observations in mind. Rule number one is vertical lines, stay mostly vertical. Buildings rarely lean dramatically to one side. So when painting architecture, try to keep vertical edges, mostly straight up and down. They don't have to be perfectly precise, but avoiding strong tilt will make the structure feel more believable. Rule number two is repeating elements get smaller. 20 design mele event repeats into the distance, for example, Windows lamp posts, boats or buildings, each one becomes slightly smaller than the previous one. Our eyes expected this change in scale and it naturally crested. Rule number three, plants narrow as they move away. Things like streets canals, rooftops or rows of buildings appear wider in the foreground and gradually narrow as they move into the distance. You can see this very clearly in scenes like this one. The canal is widest, closest to us, and gradually becomes narrower as it approaches the bridge in the distance. You don't need to measure anything. Just observing this narrow effect is usually enough. You may also notice that many lines in a scene seem to move toward the same direction in the distance. For example, the edges of rooftops, the rows of windows or the sides of the buildings often appear to slowly angle toward the same point far away in the horizon. Sometimes it helps if you draw these lines first and then start filling the buildings. It removes the guesswork of what should be the tiltor where exactly to place the next window. Important thing to remember, perspective is just one of the many tools we use to create livable space. But as we discussed in the previous lessons, Earl perspective, Focon plays an even bigger role in what color. Sofa edges, lighter values, and few details in the distance can create depth even if the lines are not mathematically perfect. In the project for this class, we'll rely mostly on atmosphere and simplification rather than strict perspective rules. One last thing before we move on to the project textion of the class. In the next video, we'll discuss how edge control can make a big difference in how our cityscape look and feel. See you there. 10. Edge Control: Lesson, we'll talk about edges and how controlling them can help guard the RSI in your painting. Edges are one of the most powerful tools we have in watercolor. They help us decide where the R should look first and which parts of the scene should stay more subtle. A very simple rule to remember is this. Hard edges attract attention. Soft edges, create distance, and lost edges create atmosphere. Let's quickly see what this looks like. For the small demonstration, I'll paint the same simple shape three times. First, I paint a rectangle with sharp hot edges. All the borders are clearly defined and crisp. This kind of edge immediately catches the eye and feels very present in the painting. Now I'll paint the same shape again, but this time, I'll soften the edges slightly. I'm just using a down brush to blur the border a little bit. The shape is still visible, but it feels calmer and less dominant. And finally, I'll paint the shape one more time. But this time, I'll let one of the edges disappear into the distance. This is what we call a vostage instead of clearly separating the shape from its surroundings, that just blends into the space around it. Step of edges is very useful when we want to create atmosphere or make something feel farther away. Now let's think about how this applies to set scapes. Usually the Rs you want to emphasize like focal building or lamppost store architectural feature will have stronger values and clearer edges. Meanwhile, buildings that are farther away can have softer edges and less definition. This helps create this and keeps the painting from feeling too busy. All stages are especially helpful when painting miss distances of light because they show parts of buildings to gently fade into the atmosphere. So instead of outlining everything sharply, try thinking about where ones clarity and where one softness. These simple control pages can make a big difference in how usage cape fels. A you'll see, this technique is often in projects of this class, especially when we want certain objects stand out while others disappear into the background. In the next section, we'll start applying all these ideas, simplification, aerial perspective, and edge control in our first project. 11. Project #1: Eiffel Tower: Welcome to the first project in this class. Today, we'll paint this Modi moonochrom scene. We'll focus on atmosphere and simplification of the focal element. By using just one color, we can concentrate more on the values, and this helps a lot with achieving realism. We'll focus not only on how to paint each element, but also on why we're making certain choices, especially when it comes to values, edges, and simplification. Let's first discuss the planning of the scene. This is the reference photo that inspired the painting, and this is my first attempt at painting it. You can see here that I removed the cards on the right. I didn't feel like they added anything to the scene. Instead, I decided to mirror the elements from the left side, so I added the same lamp posts on the right. Now let's look at the project painting from this class. Notice that here I shifted the composition slightly, moving the tower to the right. This eliminates the repetitiveness of the elements on the right and creates more pleasing and more organic composition compared to the centered one. Central compositions often feel more static and formal while of center compositions create movement and feel more natural. By adjusting the crop here, I achieved two things. I removed the repetitive and less engaging right side of the reference and made the composition more dynamic. Another thing you might notice is that in the word painting, I added the trees and branches along the side of the bridge. Later, when I analyze my work I realize they didn't add much to the overall feeling of the scene, instead, they made the painting feel slightly heavier and a bit overworked. So for the second attempt, I decided to simplify. Since simplification is the theme of this class, I prefer this version. It feels lighter and fresher. I also simplified the footprints in the snow. This way the foreground balances nicely with the heavier values in the upper two thirds of the painting and gives the eye place to rest. I cropped a bit from the bottom area as well, especially in the final project painting because it didn't carry much information. And of course, the main thing is the suggested detail in the tower. Notice that I didn't paint it very realistically. I didn't add every single beam. Instead, I painted it in a way, that's just just enough structure for it to be understood as realistic. Now let's take a quick look at the values. If we observe the reference carefully, we can see that the lightest area is the snow in the foreground, so we need to keep that area light. Then comes the sky. The mid values are for the eiffel tower and the trees. The darker elements are the lamp posts and the figure, which are also the most detailed parts of the painting. We'll keep that in mind while painting. And of course, we always have the creative freedom to make adjustments. If we look again at the first painting I created, you can see that the tower is much lighter in value compared to the project for this class. That makes it feel further away and more covered in mist, which works beautifully for the atmosphere. For this project, though, I decided to make it slightly darker first so that you can clearly see how I painted and second, to add a bit more contrast and visual strength to the composition. Of course, feel free to paint it either way. Both approaches work. So that's it for the planning part. Now let's start painting. 12. First Wash: Let's start painting. I've prepared my sketch. Notice that I drew the tree outline with the broken line. This one is more delicate and less noticeable once we add the paint on top. The lamp posts, the bridge, and the person can remain more heavily outlined. We'll paint those with darker values, so the lines won't be visible. And at the same time, a clearer outline will help us see better once we begin painting. To simplify, I only outline the main shape of the Eiffel Tower and add just a few lines to indicate the curve of the beams. The rest at free hand with my brush. I'll remove some of the graphite, especially in the tree area and a little bit on the tower. Next, let's tape the paper to the board. I start by taping the top and bottom sides first. My board is slightly smaller than my paper, so I have to turn it and fold the tape. It's a bit tedious, but if I use my larger board, I'll run out of filming space. Now, let's tape the side. I tape about five millimeter on each side, maybe a little more. It's important to press the tape firmly onto the paper. We'll be using a lot of water and we don't want the paint to seep underneath. So on my fingers, round the edges, and press it down well. I also place the tape under the board to create a slide flow. This way the water and paint will flow downward instead of forming bottles on the surface. Now, let's begin by watching the paper. First, I spray it with my bottle. And then I add more water with my flat brush. It turns out I didn't wash my brush very well, so I get a slight brownish, but it's very pale, and it won't affect the painting once we start adding colour. This step is very important. We're setting the foundation for the first wash. If we rush it, we won't be able to take full advantage of the wet and wet technique. Take your time, make sure the paper is evenly moistened with no dry patches, no puddles. That way you can paint confidently, knowing the surface will hold moisture long enough for you to create those soft edges that add so much to the mood of this painting. While the paper absorbs the water, I'll prepare my color. I'll use a mix of indigo and pins gray. I don't want to use just pins gray because it can feel too flat. I want a subtle bluish nuance, so I'll mix the two to create a dark muted blue, almost gray, but not quite. Of course, you can use just one color if you prefer indigo, sepia, pains gray or even black. I prepare a thick mix here. Then I quickly dip my brush into my water jar to dilute the color slightly, and create a lighter mixture. With the paler version of the mix, I'll paint the sky, starting from the top, I move the brush horizontally while gradually moving downward. Now I wash my brush and gently drag the color down to create a smooth gradation. I didn't mix the paint on my brush very well, so I get a few streaks, but that's fine. We'll soften them in a moment. I ranse my brush again, and now with almost just water, I cover the rest of the page. I'm even going over the snow area. Yes, it's white, but it still carries a bluish nuance, and we want it to feel integrated into the scene, leaving it completely white to what look disconnected. I wash my brush thoroughly, wipe it, and use it to smooth out those streaks moving over the entire page from bottom to top. We can darken the upper part slightly with some of the thicker mix. Let's not forget an important step, wiping the tape after applying the skywah. This prevents any droplets gathered there from flowing back into the painting and disturbing ours mo gradation. Let's make the sky even more dramatic by darkening the Pereira further. You can also tilt your board. Gravity will pull the pigment downward and help create an even smoother transition. I'll absorb the droplets from the bottom of the page with tan brush. And that's it for the sky and the background. Next, while the surface is still white, we'll paint the tree to achieve those soft flurry edges. I switched my size eight brush. I my brush with the mix and gently press it close to the pencil lines. I use circular motions to suggest the tree crowns. I repeat the same on the other side. I'm dragging the color along the edge while still avoiding the lamp post. And now with my soft tin dry brush, I'll spread the color. This creates a misty effect and enhances dial perspective. The trees appear to fade into the distance. A lot more pigment where needed. For example, this area feels to pale. I paint carefully around the lamp. Close to the snowy edge of the bridge, I add darker color so the snow can stand out against it. I do the same on the other side and connect the shapes slightly in the middle. Let's quickly work on the foreground. I had a darker stripe at the very bottom to frame the scene. Then I paint a few lines following the direction of the road to suggest movement and death I add a few more darker spots here and mix the additional paint because this area needs stronger contrast for the snow to stand out. Same on the other side. Let's also paint the side railing of the bridge. Here, I'll emphasize the snow even more by deepening the surrounding area. I use my hair brush again to soften certain sections, so everything feel cohesive. Not like separate patches of color layered on top of each other. Now, is a great time to add some splatters with clean water to suggest snow flakes in the distance. It adds smooth atmosphere. And as a final step for the stage, I splatter some darker paint in the foreground to suggest texture in the snow. With a tick mixture and the tip of my brush, I drop in some color for the figure's footsteps. And congratulations. You've successfully completed the first stage of painting. Let it dry completely, take a short break, and in the next video, we'll paint the tower. 13. Painting the Tower: My paper is now completely dry. I've removed the tape from underneath the board since I don't need the slope anymore, and it's time to paint the tower. For this tape, I'm using my long round sized for brush. I'll reactivate the mix we used for the sky. I'm adding just a little water, so it's not as pale as before. It shouldn't be very transparent and it shouldn't be very thick either, something in between. These are our mid tones. If you'd like a softer Mr. Effect, you can go one or two shades lighter than mine. For this upper section, I'm using slightly macy strokes. I'm not trying to perfectly replicate the reference. I'm just suggesting irregularities in the structure. Then I continue by filling in the overall shape. My pencil lines are still visible, which makes it much easier to follow along. Try to work relatively quickly. You don't want the paint to dry while you're still working in the same area. And if you get a slightly crooked line, just leave it. We can adjust later if needed, but aim to follow the pencil lines as a guide. Now I'll start making the sel white more interesting by suggesting the beam pattern of the tower. First, I outline the section. Then I add a few crossed lines to hint at the grid structure. I take a bit more paint and drop in some spots here and there to break up that flat unified look. These little variations add complexity without needing to paint every detail. And I continue, again, outlining first, then a few suggestive grid lines or not spacing them evenly or making them identical. That irregularity actually makes the structure feel more natural and less stiff. Then some regular spots to break up larger areas. There is not recorder. Think of it as a rhythm rather than a formula. Imagine you're painting on a timer. It helps you focus on suggesting rather than overthinking. And in a way, you're on a timer, the paint is drying, so be quick but stay loose and playful. For the middle section, I'm using more spots because in the reference, it appears darker. On the sides, we see more sky between the beams, so I use more crossed lines. Here is where one structural element ends, and the next begins. Let's quickly finish this section, adding a few more spot so the pattern doesn't look too predictable. Take a small pause here, the back if you'd like. If something feels repetitive or too structured, this is a good time to soften or adjust it. Now, this area in the reference is darker, so I'll switch to a slightly thicker mix of pinscrap. I drop that in here. This section here is quite dark, so I'll block it in more solidly. Connect the shapes, add in a few lines. Again notice, I'm not being overly precise. The lines are slightly varied in thickness and spacing. That variation keeps the painting alive loose and stress free. I just this shape slightly, and continue with the next element. Online first, can lift your breath occasionally to keep the lines expressive and lighter. Here we start seeing a bit more structural clarity, so I add some horizontal beams as well. A few cross lines. And don't forget to small irregular spots. Repeating on the other side. Here we have an elongated rectangular shape with smaller squares inside. We're seeing the tower slightly from the side. So it leans a bit just a gentle suggestion of linear perspective, nothing too technical. I add more squares inside and a tiny X in each one. Then the central line. And we're almost ready. I'll darken this edge slightly. Add a few crossed lines to break it up. As we move towards the mist, I make my mix a bit more watery. The structure should gradually soften as it disappears into the atmosphere. This is where aural perspective comes into play. I outlined this small section. Another I won't get a chip. Continue the main vertical line. At a horizontal beam. If you may see cross lines. Now I'll carefully paint the arc. So small spots. And here you can see the arc of the opposite side of the tower. I connect it gently with a few marks. Now with a clean down brush, I'll blend the tower slightly into the mist. Oh. I press gently to create soft smudges and lift a bit of paint. This helps the tower dissolve into the mist. I soften this edge here. Pressing the brush lightly in a few areas while the paint is still damp creates a subtle smudge and makes the structure look more complex and atmospheric. So final touches wherever it feels too predictable or too structured. I'll fix this small antenna at the top. And that's it. You did it. We now have the structure and Mtons in place. Let this layer dry completely, and in the next video, we'll has the contrast and bring everything together. 14. Elevating the Look: NthlTwers not quite finished yet. And this video will left some more color and soften the edges to elevate the overall look. I'm using a stiff synthetic flat brush and some clean water. I have my napkin nearby. I'll tilt my board slightly so my hand can move freely and comfortably. I dip my brush in clean water and dab it on the towel. The brush should be damp, not dripping. First, I'll start by softening the outer edges. Notice that I'm not pressing hard. I'm barely touching the surface. That gentle moisture is enough to reactivate the pain slightly and smudge it just a bit, so the tower doesn't look too sharp against the soft background. This also helps smooth out any slightly crooked lines. The result is very subtle, but for me, it makes all the difference. I use this technique all the time. Now, let's leave some paint along this line to suggest a separate beam. I light go over the area. And we'll repeat on the other side. First I think around the edge, Then lifting a little inside the sauet. We can also lift along some of the cross lines to emphasize the structure. Here I'm further softening the edge that disappears into the mist. This enhances the al perspective. The tower should gradually dissolve into the atmosphere. Now I lift some wines from the interior of the silhouette. I add this mostly in flatter areas where not too much is happening or wherever I notice a distinct beam in the reference, for example, here. This is one of my favorite parts of the process. It's very forgiving. There's not much you can ruin, and it's incredibly satisfying to reveal small highlights. It adds depth and complexity without needing more detail. You can also use this technique to soften any areas that feel too sharp or too structured. Let's emphasize these beams a bit more. A a few smudges here. This section looks a little too neat. And here we can clarify the arc on this side. While softening the one in the bag to push it further into the space. For finer lines and smaller areas, I'll switch to a smaller flat brush. Just tiny touches here and there. As a final step, I want to define the arc area slightly more. I'll take some of our mix slightly diluted. And as a gentle shadow here. Then I soften the edge so it blends naturally. You'll notice I'm often adding a shadow next to a lifted highlight. That contrast helps the highlight to stand out. And that more than enough, I think it looks great, and most importantly, it wasn't a complicated or rigid process. It was relaxed, playful, and forgiving. There's room for movement, adjustment, and even small mistakes, and that's exactly what keeps what color fresh and expressive. Now we'll paint the lamp post, see you in the next video when you're ready. 15. Painting the Street Lamps: Welcome back. In this view, we'll paint the street once. I'm taking my size four round brush and preparing creamy mix of paint gray. With the tip of my brush, I start from the top. I'm using short loose brush strokes. My goal isn't to replicate the intricate iron work exactly, but to suggest the general shape and painting quickly and without overthinking, just capturing the impression of the structure. Right now I'm only adding the dark parts of the lamp, sos keeping the areas where we see no interference. Those later areas will stay unpainted for now. These thin lines are painted with just a tip of the brush. Here, there's a small oval shape. Then the post continues downward. Another decorative element here. And now straight line. The section appears covered in snow in the reference so skipping it. The next part is slightly wider. Then skip again, and at another small segment of the post, these are almost shaped like cupcake. And finally, the widest section at the bottom. Since I'm using thick paint, I need to roll out my brush often. You can also leave a few tiny specs uncovered. That can suggest texture or bits of snow. And that's it for the first lamp. Now the next one is further away. So according to their perspective, it should be lighter and slightly less detailed. So I'm adding some water to the mix. I repeat the same process, but simplified even more. I'm focusing only on the general impression. Set the intention to paint it even faster than the previous one. That naturally simplifies the shape and keeps your strokes loose. Again, I keep the covered with snow. For the last lamp on this side, I add even more water to the same mix. And I quickly paint a very simplified version of a lamppost. And here just a few dots and short lines to suggest there's another one in the distance. And the same on the other side, just dots and small marks. The viewer's brain will automatically read them as lamp posts because of the repetition and their placement in space, we don't need to fully describe them. Now keep everything consistent with our misty atmosphere. I'll soften the heard outlines of the lamps, just like we did with the tower. We don't want them to look pasted on top of the background. They should feel like they belong to the same space. Turn your board if needed, so your hand can move comfortably in a straight line. Using an embr gently, go over the edges. Don't press too much. We're not trying to lift all the paint, roughly as much the outlines. And this also helps straighten slightly uneven lines and smooth irregularities. It's such an effective technique that sometimes it almost feels like cheating. I lightly go over the distant lamps. They don't need much. For the closest one, I'll switch to the small flat brush for more control in smaller areas. Now we can lift some paint from inside the lamp to suggest the glass, just gently scrub and then blot with towel. This is also how we'll create the snow on the post by lifting the paint instead of adding white on top. The effect is very soft and natural, and it matches the mood of the painting much better than using white quash. Et's repeat the process here. In this area, I should have left a bit more space for the snow, but that's okay. I'll try to lift it. And we also see some snow gathered here. I scrub carefully trying not to disturb the darker sections too much. And the same for this one. The other lamps are further away, so they don't need as much attention or detail. I'll just soften them slightly more, and we're done with this part as well. Now it's finally time to add our tiny person with the umbrella. See you in the next video. 16. Painting the Figure + Finishing Touches: Okay, let's finish this painting. Once again, I'm using my Randaz four brush and reactivating hour mix. This time we need thick paint. As mentioned earlier, the man with the umbrella contains the darkest values in our reference. He's also the closest element to us, so he should feel crisp and more defined. Even so, we'll still suggest the details rather than overwork them. Let's start with umbrella. This section here is darker than the rest. So I begin by filling in that chip Then I gently drag some of that pigment upward. If you look closely at the reference, you'll notice subtle shadows across the umbrella. The dragging motion help us suggest them without painting every fault. I slowly add darker spots wherever I see deeper shadows in the reference. Now I wash my brush and wipe it. With just the tip I gently smog those darker areas. This softens the transitions and create volume. And this is the approach we'll use for the entire figure, placing shadow first, then softening them. Next is the here. We don't see much of it, but it's clearly dark. So I add a small concentrated shape here. Then the hoodie is lighter, so I outline it loosely with the tip of the brush. I start adding shadows to the coat the same way I did with umbrella, glancing at the reference, identifying the deepest shadows, and marking them with some spots. I rinse and wiped my brush again and go the rail once more. Then the hoodie. And I been softening the shadows on the coat. Here it needs a little more depth. Now, I don't want the figure to look as flat as it does in the reference. In my painting, I'm slightly exaggerating the contrast, making the shadow darker. This increases visual impact and helps the figure stand out because the eiffel tower already has strong contrast against the peel sky. The figure needs to match that strength. If we painted it with very soft values, it wouldn't feel consistent with the overall mood and structure of the painting. So here stronger contrast creates harmony with the rest of the composition. Now I continue with the lower part of the code. Then the legs. Don't paint them perfectly straight. Notice the slight bend in the knee. Google your brush a little to suggest faults in the trousers. That's a tall irregularity at realism. I usually start thinner and gradually build up the shape until it feels right. Let's add a few more shadows. Then after them. Here I'm adding a shadow with just the leftover paint on my brush. The umbrella looks slightly too transparent now, so I'll go over it again to deepen that value. Some final touches. I feel like adding a few extra spots to make the foreground more interesting. With the same dry brush, I add small random textures here and there. Nothing specific, just some random spots. Now let's soften some of the harsher edges here. That's it for the figure. All that's left is the snow. I'm taking my white quash and squeezing some onto my palette. It seems to have separated a bit. I add a little bit of water. Let's start with some sweaters. I'll add a few delicate ones first. Now, thick, thicker guash, for larger snowflakes. Try to keep them random and unevenly spaced. Don't overdo it. Just a few well placed platters are enough. If you weren't able to lift paint from the lamp posts earlier to create snow, you can use the white quash to add it on top. And that's it. Our beautiful moody para scene is complete. I hope you enjoyed painting this one as much as I did. And when you're ready, I'll see you in the next project. 17. Project #2: Galata Tower: Welcome to the second project in this course. Today, I will paint Galt Tower in Istanbul at Golden Hour. It is a very beautiful and peaceful scene, and the color palette makes it look bright and appealing. For this project, we'll focus on creating harmony and atmosphere through the use of color, simplifying the buildings in the background, and painting architecture with just the right amount of detail without overworking it. This is our reference photo, and this is my first attempt at painting it about a year ago. What worked well here is the general mood. As well as the level of simplification of the smaller buildings. What I thought could be better is that the tower looks a bit overworked, too heavy on the details, which makes it feel cartoonish. Another thing that could be improved is the color palette of the blurred buildings, as this one is too cold and dark and doesn't match the mood of the rest of the painting. And if I'm being very picky, I would say that the clouds here are too opaque. Which takes away from the realism. And here's the project that we'll paint in this class. You can see that here the clouds are a bit lighter, more airy and wispy. The city is lighter and warmer, matching the sunset atmosphere, much better and not distracting from our focal point. And the biggest shift here, I think, is that I added fewer details and less definition to the tower. Spent well as time trying to recreate the Rnking granny, and I think the result is much fresher, more interesting, more painterly and polished version of the tower. So how did I decide what to simplify in this painting? Looking at the reference, what is it that you notice first? My guess is that first you notice the sky, the colors and the atmosphere it creates. So that's why this will be one of our main goals today. Recreate that sunset atmosphere. Painting the sky is one of our priorities as it sets the stage for the entire painting. The other thing that draws your attention first probably is the tower. That's the focal point of the photograph, as well. It is the tire of the scene. So this is where we will focus when it comes to detail. The small buildings and the mountains in the distance are supportive elements in the scene. They don't carry as much importance. If the houses had red or blue roofs, two or ten windows. If they were smaller or bigger or had more or fewer chimneys, that wouldn't change the impact of the photograph, as long as we have that peachy sky and the beautiful ancient tower. So these are dire that will simplify. We'll paint them faster we loser trucks, fewer details, and less color variation. If that sounds good, then you're ready to start, let's meet in the next video for the first wash. 18. First Wash: Let's start painting. I have prepared my sketch, and I will erase just a little bit of the pencil lines around the roof. The rest I'll leave. And again, I will place my paper tape below my board to create a slope, starting the same way by wetting the entire sheet of paper. First, I spray some water. And then I'll use my flat brush. I have the same issue with the tinted water as in the previous project, but again, that's okay. We'll use stronger colors in this project. Again, I make sure my paper is evenly moistened by going over it multiple times. 19. Painting the Roof: Your paper is completely dry, you can start painting the tower. I take my round size four. I'll use it for the spare that's on the top of the tower. In the reference, it has this warm golden color. So I reactivate some of this orange. You can take some of that dusty pink as well or even mix them. And with the tip of my brush, I paint this spare like element. It's quite delicate, so you'll need a smaller brush for that. And here we have a small bow. I leave a small highlight uncovered to create volume. And on the left side, there's a shadow, so we can drop some of that darker brown there. Again, just with the tip of the brush. Okay. And that's it for this part. For the roof, I switch to my size eight. I take some royal blue. We see in the reference this blue gray tin color, but I want to create a brighter painting, and we use this color already in the clouds and for the city background. So let's continue using it as an accent. So we kind of exaggerate the color of the tower to make it more interesting, brighter, more colorful. I apply it in the middle at first, then I start spreading it little by little, getting closer to the pencil lines. On the right, I'll leave some space for those warm highlights. I wash my brush, take some of that dusty pink mix, and I'll apply it here on the right. You can also use orange for that. And for the very tip of the cone, notice how dark it is in the photo reference. So taking some paints gray. I add it to my brown to warm it up a little, and I'll add it here. Feel free to use a smaller brush for this section for more control. I wash my brush again and wipe it, and now with the damp brush, I'll spread the color. This gives me more control and more naturals. And let's finish the roof. I go back to the pinkish brownish mix. I add it here. You can drag some lines like that to emphasize the shape. I'll finish with some raw blue here. So We can now drop in some pink orange or brown spots while it's still wet. Again, dragging that color up towards the tip. Let's mix a stronger color. I'll take some molyzarin and permanent brown. I'll add some strokes with it. And for the base, let's switch back to a smaller brush. It's quite dark in the reference, so I'm taking paints gray. I add to its own brown. And I carefully paint this element. I leave a small gap between that and the rest of the roof, so the color doesn't bleed and at the same time, there's a highlight. We can deepen the shadows here. Only on the left side. Here as well. M. Also, there are these small structures here like windows. Let's add them. For this one, you can wait until it's dry if you prefer. And let's leave it like that for now. We will add more details to it later. Take a break, and next we'll paint the walls of the tower. 20. Painting the Tower: This video, we'll add the first layer for the towel. I'll use my size eight. I'll mix again some of the pink soft prawn. I'll take some lazarin So naples yellow. That's probably too pink, so I add more naples. Again, I apply the color in the middle at first. Notice again in the reference that the color changes to a colder version on the left, then warmer on the right. So mix some of that raw blue into it. Add it on the left. And at the bottom, as well. You can drag some wines like that, as well. And then I wash my brush, and I'll spread the color here until it reaches the pencil lines. And again, some lines from left to right to show the roundness of the tower. We can even drop some orange on the right to emphasize that warm glow. Next, I'll switch to my small flat brush. If you don't have one, just use a smaller brush like size four or similar. I mix a dark brown. And while it's still wet, I'll paint some separate stones or bricks showing the walls texture and suggesting complexity. Make a lighter version of this color and add some more with that as well. Let's try with some Napos yellow. So orange. We're using different colors to make it look richer and more complex. And now we need to let it dry and then we'll come back to add the details. 21. Details: In this video, we'll add the details to the tower, all those features that make it distinct, but we won't be too rigid about it. Remember my first attempt that looked overworked and cartoonish, we'll keep it light and fresh. With my size four, I'm taking some brown. Add it to my pens gray here to make it darker and colder. I wipe the excess on my napkin, and I start working from top to bottom. First, I'll add the details around this small window here. I add something like a triangle at the top, then it goes down like that. Now, let's add some of those lines on the roof. In the reference, we see that it's made of many, many small elements. But if we add all of them, it will look over detailed and heavy. So we'll suggest those with just a few lines. Very light and thin, kind of wavy, imitating the pattern that we see in the reference. Adding some smaller dots to suggest complexity. And let's continue downward. Here we see a series of arched windows, and some wines between them, let's start with the lines. Thin white strokes. It's not necessary to reach all the way down. And then for the windows, I'll just fill in very roughly the shapes that I drew with the pencil. I'm not filling them entirely. We'll polish those later, but for now, try to work quickly and not dwell on the same spot for too long. Then we see this element that forms something like a balcony. I keep working with the same brown based care mix. Here we see another line. And there's also a rail link, so let's add it quickly. First, I add the vertical wines. Very thin wines. You can leave them slightly unfinished. And then connect them. And now I'll just add some dots and spots to suggest more elements here without actually painting anything specific. So texture here with the same dry brush. And let's move on to the next section. Still using the same mix. Here again, we see a series of windows, but these are framed with some arches. Let's start with windows. Painting them in the same way as the ones above. Now for the arches, I'll outline them roughly from below. Adding a darker spot inside each one. And then I wash my brush, wipe it, and with the damp brush, I'll soften ditch. Dragging the color down a little bit. And now, I'll use this pinkish mix to fill in the rest of the inside of the arch. And also outline them from above. Mm. Now with down brush, I'll often doing those, making them softer, not as sharp against the soft color of wool. With dark brown, we can suggest some of the elements here on the columns and dropping some shadows in between the arches and a little bit above them, making them more distinct without outlining them fully. Defining the columns a little bit more Some final touches. And let's move on. Here again, there's a similar element like the one above. I add the lines first. And then some textures and shadows with whatever is left on my brush. Again, some dots, spots and lines to suggest more elements here. We see in the reference that there is something, but it's not very clear what it is, so it shouldn't be in our painting either. And that's more than enough for the section. Let's mix some more of that brown paste gray mix. Add those small openings here just with touch of the tip of the brush. There are few larger ones as well. Some more of the smaller ones. So was to chess. And we're ready with this part. Next, we'll polish it a bit. It's my favourite part of the process. See you in the next video. 22. Elevating the Look: This video will elevate the look of the tower using the scribing and lifting techniques. It's an optional step, but it makes a big difference. It's often hard edges and straighten scroked lines, and it can also bring back some highlights. As a result, your painting will look more polished, fresh and interesting. I take a clean napkin and my small flat brush. Again, I will work from top to bottom. I start with this element on top. I scrub around the edges to soften the lines. For the roof, I'll switch to the larger flat brush. I washed in clean water, wipe the exes off. And I glided alongside the edge here. And you can also lift some paint from the inside, creating some more of those lines to suggest the pattern. Again, not everywhere, just here and there to keep it fresh. Here we left a tiny cap so we can try to create a highlight. Depending on your paint and pigment, you might see a different result. Some pigments are easier to lift than others. Going back to the smaller flat brush, I will work on this small window here. Adding a highlight will make it stand out more. I've used this brush a lot, so it's a little bit freight now, and I can't be very precise. So it's time for a change, but for now, I'll have to make it work. Scrubbing and lifting really messes up the bristles of the brushes. Going back to the element here, I go over the highlight again to make it brighter. And here below to soften dg. Then we can soften these lines or create a highlight next to them. With a smaller brush I'll soften the windows, same as I did with the larger ones in the previous video. And I can try lifting a highlight around them. Thanks to the frayed bristles, I can be very precise, but still I'm able to show some highlights. Switching to the larger brush for the next element. I soften the texture a little bit, making it look more like a shadow. For the arches here, I will try and lift some separate spots that can suggest lighter stones just here and there to make it more interesting. And, again, switching to the larger brush for this part here. Let's also work around the edges. It's often them and straighten the lines. And finally, with a small brush, we can lift some paint again to create lighter stones or bricks. Let's first soften those darker spots. I'm just mching the paint lightly. Adding a small highlight here. And now for some bricks. I really like this effect. So we're not painting every stone separately. We're suggesting the structure of the wall by adding just a few with different values, and that's enough to create that visual impact. Okay, now it needs more touches, and the tower will be ready. 23. Small Adjustments: This point, I'm standing up and I'm looking at the tower carefully to see if anything needs improvement. I take my small flat brush and I reactivate some of that brown here. I want to add a little bit of it around the lifted highlights on the smaller windows. This will make them stand out more, very lightly just here and there. It's more about adding spots than outlining. While I'm at it, I go around the Binger arches as well. I feel like the outline of the tower here is a little bit lost, so I add more definition to it. Touching up this part here as it seems a little blurred as well. Some shadows on the sides define the shape better. So more bricks. We can also add some texture to it. I switch to my size eight. I reactivate some of this mix here. And with the dry brush, I go over it like that. We can try with a darker paint as well. And if you weren't able to create highlights, you can use a pack paint to add them like Naples yellow, for example. You can use it to outline the windows. Add some spots with it to suggest different elements. And overall, just play with it, add it whenever it feels suitable and make sense. I'm not seeing now that this line here needs some strengthening. And that's it for the tower. Next, we need to work on the CT a little bit to make it look more convincing. See you in the next video. I 24. Painting the City: Now next to the tower, the city looks a little bit washed out. So let's add more definition to it and mix the dark brown again. With the semi dry brush, I'll much this color onto the windows of the buildings. You can drop it in like that. Or also outline them to create the illusion of wooden shutters. We can also use this color to add the shadows below the roofs. Don't make anything too distinct here. Lift your brush off a name, work with unfinished lines. Remember that this part serves as a background that supports our focal element. Once we add the deeper shadows, we can create some highlights again using the lifting technique. We can use it to define the roofs. I suggest some buildings in the distance as well. I'm just randomly lifting some lines to create the illusion of more buildings further away. We won't be adding windows or anything too specific. Those highlights will serve as a suggestion of something more happening here. But because it is further away, we can't see what exactly. I'm going over this a here too much, the paint and sof tan do look a little bit. Next, we can add more color spots. I like to use royal blue for that. I take some tick paint. I add some spots with it, and then I smooch them with my finger. We can also use it to create the illusion of colorful wooden shutters. So splatters with different colors. We can also make the tower disappear more seamlessly into the city. I take some watery royal blue. I add some spots here with it. And now with a down brush, I'll just blend them. And now it looks much better, and we're almost done. Just some final thes left. 25. Finishing Touches: Tats on birds do make the scene more alive and dynamic. I'll mix again some of that brown pins cream mix. With a semi dry brush and the very tip of my brush, I paint some squashed shapes. Don't make them too big or too distinct. Paint some with the wings up and some with the wings down. Paint them in different sizes and unevenly spaced. Istanbul has a lot of seagulls, so it's almost mandatory to add them to any Istanbul escape. Add as many as you like. Birds always make the scene more interesting. That's enough for me. This line seems a little too dark to me, so I'll glaze on royal blue on top. That's better. We can drag it down here and there, too. You can also create a vignette like effect at the bottom of the painting. I take my sees it and some paints gray. I'll mix it here to soften it up. You can use brown as well, and I'll add it in the corners. With the damp brush, I'll blend it. Adding a few more spots. Some spotters. The next improvement will be for the roofs. They look a bit washed out to me, so I take some permanent brown, mix it here. And with the semi drip brush, I'll add some color to the roofs. Not covering them entirely, just on smudges here and there. If your brown is colder and you want a brighter accent, you can use burnt sienna, red Tucker, or even some orange. So lines. A little bit on the distant houses as well. And And finally, this part here looks a little messy, so let's clean it up. Much better, right? And we're done. Congratulations. You've made it. Such a challenging project, but such a beautiful and satisfying result. I hope you enjoyed painting it, and I'll see you in the next video. We will wrap up the class. 26. Wrapping Up the Class: Congratulations on completing the class. I hope this project help you see that CD scales don't have to be complicated or intimidating. By focusing on focal points, simplification, atmosphere, and edge control, you can create convincing and expressive scenes without needing perfect accuracy. For your class project, I'd love for you to share one or both of the paintings. We created together. You can also try applying the same approach to a different city reference if you'd like to experiment further. When you about your project, feel free to share a bit about your process or any challenges that you faced along the way. I always enjoy seeing your work and giving feedback. If you enjoy this class, I really appreciate. If you could leave a quick review, your feedback helps other students discover the class and let me know what you enjoy the most. And if you'd like to see more of my WC process or tutorials, you can also find me on Instagram and YouTube where I regularly share painting, videos, and tips. Thank you so much for painting with me, and I'll see you in the next class.