In this class, I will teach you how to paint any scene in watercolour, by simplifying it into 3 simple steps. To learn this skill, we are going to paint a simple scene from the Himalayan mountainside. A tiny house in the mountains is a scene most of us can relate to. When hiking in the Himalayas, such picturesque, isolated houses on the mountain slopes are a common sight. They are away from villages and serve as a summer home when tending the family orchard.
Our reference photograph itself is well composed. The house is situated at 1/3 of the frame both vertically and horizontally. There is lovely warm afternoon light, falling on the foreground. The trees on either side of the composition direct the viewers attention to the house with lush mountains rolling into the distance. In this class we are going to practice breaking down a scene into large, connected shapes of similar tonal value. We will then proceed to paint each of these shapes starting from the light to dark.
I use a similar technique for all my paintings, be they animals or landscapes. If you enjoy my style of painting but have found my other classes difficult to attempt, this class will be perfect for you.
As with all my classes, we shall use confident, bold, and playful brushstrokes. We shall embrace happy accidents and find joy in the unpredictability that the medium of watercolor affords us.
On completing this class, you will gain familiarity with the following topics:
- How to simplify and abstract reference images when composing a painting
- How to identify and work with tonal values
- How to paint using multiple transparent layers
- How to use a combination of wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry painting techniques
- How to paint any subject in a simple and confident style
This class is suitable for students of all levels. For beginners, it will introduce you to the basic principles of planning and executing a landscape painting. For the more experienced artist, it will add to your repertoire of painting styles.
It is also ideal for anyone wanting to combine their love for the natural world and the medium of watercolour. Techniques learnt in this class can easily be applied to painting plein-air and UrbanSketching. I would encourage anyone interested in travel, hiking, nature journaling, outdoor painting and folks who want to pick up a fresh, experimental approach to watercolour to give this class a go.
