Let's paint watercolor landscapes loosely.

If you’ve always wanted to try loose watercolor painting but feel intimidated because of the different elements in the background, middle ground and foreground, then you’ve found the right class for you.

In this short course, let me share with you the different techniques in depicting clouds, trees, bushes and mountains with this fluid medium.

Read more details below to give you an idea what this class has in store for you.

What will we do in this class?

We will create this loose landscape painting and follow this process:

Swatch the pigments we chose and mix the different combinations to expand the limited palette that we’re using.
Start the painting by working on the farthest element away from us: the sky.
Connect the sky area and the foreground area.
Work on the cloud shadows and bushes in the foreground.
Paint the mountain and additional foreground elements.
Add the focal point of the painting: the big tree.
Finish up the painting by adding the final details such as the birds and texture.

Additionally, we will discuss the following composition principles:

Planning where to place the focal point by using the rule of thirds.
Placing the horizon either below or above the center of paper.
Framing the painting by using the foreground and the background.
Breaking down a big shape like the mountain so it wouldn’t compete with the focal point.
Using smaller elements like the bird to guide the eye of the viewer to the focal point.

I also had happy accidents and this will give me a chance to show you how to fix these mistakes like blooms or cauliflower effect and a color that looks unnatural.

By the end of this class, you may now choose your own reference photo and apply the same techniques to achieve the same results.

Here are other landscape studies where I applied the same watercolor techniques discussed such as wet-on-wet, dry brushing, lifting and layering. All of these also used a limited palette of 4-5 colors only.

Who is this class for?

This class is beginner friendly but those who have experience handling this medium is also welcome to join in the fun.

To motivate and inspire you, here are some works of my students from my face-to-face workshops and all of them have no experience painting with watercolors.

What do we need to get started?

Colors used, recommended materials, step by step process shot of the painting, original reference photo and alternative colors are all provided in the Class Guide. Please visit the Resources tab and grab yourself a copy.

You may also prepare the following if you plan to watch and paint along:

Watercolor paper (preferably 100% cotton)
Watercolor brushes (a flat brush and a small round brush would do)
Watercolor paint (3-4 colors would do)
Water jar, paper towel or rag
Pencil and eraser (if you want to sketch guidelines)
Backing board and masking tape (for a crisp border)

If you’re ready, I’ll see you in the next video and let’s get started.

Music by Purple Planet.com

Kristy Nolan

Newbie watercolor painter

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