Planning Your Painting: Sketch and Paint 6 Different Watercolour Landscapes

Hi, I'm Darren from Watercolour Mentor. Ever wondered how to turn a photo or landscape scene into a painting? In this class, I will show you how! You'll build your confidence and create some beautiful artwork by understanding the simple process I take in planning out each painting. 

You'll learn how to quickly analyze and break down a reference photo into basic shapes, elements, areas such as sky, land, water, as well as simplifying buildings and other objects. You will learn how to recombine all these elements to make your own unique scene and create areas of focus, as well as alter the composition of the painting to your liking. It's easier than it sounds, and you'll be at it in no time!

I will also cover:

• How to create a quick pencil and watercolour sketch of your photograph or scene to ease into the painting process, and use your sketch as the basis of your final painting.
• How to use different watercolour techniques such as wet-in-wet, wet-on-dry, dry brush and how to get different brush marks to imply areas of texture and foliage.
• Using negative painting techniques to create maximum contrast.
• Essential materials.
• How to paint simple figures to bring a sense of scale to your painting.
• How to compose a painting successfully to create different focal points and to make it more interesting than the reference photograph. 
• How to adopt a loose painting style by using minimal brush-strokes.
• How to keep your paintings looking vibrant by contrasting light and dark washes, and allowing different layers to show through.
• How to combine man made objects with nature, such as houses, fences, power-poles, with grasslands, trees, water and rocks.

I am looking forward to having you in my class, and for us to go through the entire planning and painting process together! Reach out to me if you have any questions and I will get back to you.

Demonstration Paintings:

For the class project, follow along to the sketching and painting demonstrations (all 6 landscapes have a simple watercolour sketching part, and a final painting part). It is important to complete the sketching exercises in each landscape scene, as this provides you with an opportunity to practice composing a painting, and also allowing you to practice essential watercolour techniques. This will improve your confidence in your final painting.

If you have finished the 6 landscapes featured in this class, pick a royalty free photograph or perhaps one of your own landscape photographs, and using the process and techniques described in this class, create your own unique painting.

Finally, upload your painting(s) in the project section! If you have questions or would like feedback on your work, let me know and I will get back to you.

Note: Scanned images of my final paintings, as well as the original (royalty free) reference photographs are included below.