Step-By-Step Painting Ideas

After underpainting in bright basic hues, I develop a field and the tree line in high silhouette. This was a fun experiment. Materials used: Brushes 1 1/2" (381mm) Flat Winsor & Newton Series 965 #10 Winsor & Newton 820 round red sable #5 Scripto Red Sable Rigger #8 Winsor & Newton 820 round red sable #6 Grumbacher Watercolor Classic Red Sable Paints Sap Green Hooker's Green Dark Cerulean Blue Cobalt Blue Dioxazine Purple Alizarin Crimson Permanent Rose Raw Sienna Burnt Umber Indian Yellow Pthalocyanine Green Paper Watercolor Block (12" x 16") Arches #140 cold pressed Miscellaneous #2 Pencil Kneaded Eraser...

An interesting foray into nighttime lighting effects using a nautical theme, the West Break Water Lighthouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Watch and see how things unfold as Greg paints his way through a dusky nautical theme. Materials used: Brushes #8 Kolonok Kolinsky Red Sable #5 Kolonok Kolinsky Red Sable #0 Winsor & Newton Series 7 Red Sable Paints Sap Green Hooker's Green Dark Burnt Umber Burnt Sienna Ultramarine Blue Cerulean Blue Alizarin Crimson Permanent Rose Indian Yellow Ivory Black Paper Cut sheet (5.5" x 7.5") Whatman #200 cold pressed, deteriorated. Miscellaneous #2 Pencil Kneaded Eraser Palettes - Robert E. Wood &...

Here's a close-up of pink lily flowers painted with wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry and splattering techniques. Video coming soon.

Some rather gaudy purple irises serve as willing subjects for working wet-in-wet and glazing for bright and colorful results. Materials used: Brushes 1 1/2" (381mm) Flat Winsor & Newton Series 965 1" Grumbacher Aquarelle Flat Red Sable #12 Winsor & Newton Series 7 Red Sable #10 Winsor & Newton Series 820 Red Sable #6 Grumbacher Watercolor Classic Paints Paints Sap Green Hooker's Green Dark Phthalocyanine Blue Cobalt Blue Dioxazine Purple Alizarin Crimson Permanent Rose Raw Sienna Burnt Umber Paper Spiral Pad (11" x 14") Canson #140 cold pressed Miscellaneous #2 Pencil Kneaded Eraser Palette - Your choice. Mine is an...

Step Six: Out of the shadows After thoroughly removing the frisket and redrawing lost areas, I painted the shadow areas on the lighthouse in the same blue as the sky. Next I used blues, grays, and greens to paint the causeway leading to the lighthouse. I fished these colors from the various mixtures already on my palette. While I had a clean mixture of Hooker's green in my #5 brush I invented some landscaping at the base of the building. I studied the forms at the base of the building and redrew them, a light colored rail and pier was...

Step Seven: Altering reality My original photo had a background of a sunlit brick wall. I decided the bricks would make the painting too busy and opted to use a dark mixture of Pthalocyanine Blue and Burnt Umber to indicate a deep shadow area behind the entire group of flowers and foliage. I varied the mixture as I painted the background. These two colors can give you deep dark blues, rich greens and warm dark browns as you mix them in different quantities. Step Eight: Chasing the light I started to work intensely on the patterns of light and dark...

Materials used: Brushes 1 1/2" (381mm) Flat Winsor & Newton Series 965 " Grumbacher Aquarelle Flat Red Sable #12 Winsor & Newton Series 7 Red Sable #10 Winsor & Newton Series 820 Red Sable #6 Grumbacher Watercolor Classic Paints Sap Green Hooker's Green Dark Pthalocyanine Blue Cobalt Blue Dioxazine Purple Alizarin Crimson Permanent Rose Raw Sienna Burnt Umber Paper Spiral Pad (11" x 14") Canson #140 cold pressed< Miscellaneous #2 Pencil Kneaded Eraser Palette - Your choice. Mine is an old Robert E. Wood model. Water container (2) and water Hair dryer (optional) Step One: Preparing reference art After developing...

In around 4 hours, you will create a beautiful watercolor showing an idyllic beach in the Mediterranean, where families are relaxing together in the summer sunshine. In between washes you may use a hair dryer to hasten the drying process for the next stage. Using a hair dryer can be useful. Without one, you'll literally be watching the paint dry for at least the next few minutes. I use a palette with deep wells for mixing my watercolor paints with lots of water. I also use a big water container (like a child’s seaside bucket). I prefer to work with my...