Tips For Painting Landscapes In Watercolor

One of the biggest challenges beginners face with any type of art, is the ability to really connect with the creativity that is inside of them. It’s difficult in the beginning to just let go and paint from your heart and soul. Your mind is being filled with techniques and systems for approaching painting, that may inhibit your creativity. Don’t get me wrong, painting techniques are essential to learning, but there should be a point where you begin to draw from your own creative imagination.

When painting a subject, whether it be a person, landscape, wildlife, etc., it is important that you first carefully study and observe your subject. You need to get intimate and personal with the subject you are painting. If you want to learn how to paint great landscapes, then you should spend time in and around the area that inspires you to paint. Only then can you really get a sense of what it is you are seeing, and how to re-create that scene on paper.

Before you even touch the paint though, head down to your location with only paper and pencils. One of the best ways to become closer to the scene you are painting, is to spend time there doing sketches. This will really force you to observe what you see and burn the image and the environment into your senses. You will be amazed at how much you learn about a scene by simply doing a few drawings.

Painting on location can be rather challenging, especially when just starting out. As the day progresses and the sun changes location in the sky, the scene you are painting can change dramatically. There are certain watercolor techniques that require the paper to be at certain angles, or the paper needs to be saturated to a certain degree, etc. To get everything right within such a short time span is difficult. If you feel you will not be able to capture the scene with paint, bring a camera with you. In the beginning you should probably choose compositions that are not overly detailed or complex. Once you find a composition that you like, take a bunch of pictures at different distances and angles. When you get back to your studio you will now have some great reference photos as well as the drawings you created.

Another great way to immerse yourself in watercolor landscape painting is to find artists who share the same interest. Search online for any groups or websites for landscape painters in your area. Start chatting and get to know everyone. Many of the artists in these groups love to connect with other artists and plan painting trips. This is a great way to gain experience.

When painting on location you don’t need to bring an entire studio worth of supplies. Some artists make the mistake of bringing far too many supplies with them, which becomes more of a nuisance than anything else. Only bring the colors and supplies that you really need to work on a particular scene.

Remember, things change very quickly outdoors. Lighting conditions and weather can change in a matter of minutes. You must be able to paint quickly without being too sloppy. Block in all of your large areas first then go back and start adding your details. Many landscape artists usually block in the sky area first. The sky is generally paler than the rest of the painting, which enables you to work from light to dark. The sky area also influences the way you paint the rest of the objects in your painting.

When painting objects in the foreground that require a lot of detail, do not try and paint every single leaf or blade of grass that you see. This will create too much detail and will draw focus away from the center of interest in your painting. It also consumes too much of your valuable time. Besides, a painting is not meant to be an exact replica of what you see, rather your unique impression of the scene. If you want exact details, you are better off taking a photograph.

Don’t be afraid to use your imagination. If you are painting a scene and feel that you should add a few trees here, or a bush there, or a bird on a branch, then by all means go for it.

If you find one particular location appealing, and have already painted there once before, don’t hesitate to go back and paint it again, only this time go out on a cloudy day instead. You will be surprised how different a scene can look when the weather changes.

I hope these landscape watercolor painting tips have helped. If you ever find yourself getting discouraged or frustrated by your progress, don’t give up. Instead, welcome and learn from your mistakes. It will make you a much better painter.