Watercolour Secrets Ebook

www.waLercoloursecreLs.
com
www.waLercoloursecreLs.com age 0

www.waLercoloursecreLs.com

About The Author

Bob Davies is professional art instructor and
co-founder or WatercolourSecrets.com.

Bob is passionate about helping others discover the
immense satisfaction of producing artwork they are
proud of and is a staunch believer that you dont
have to born with special artistic talent in order to
enjoy the wonderful pastime of painting and drawing.

In this e-book, Bob takes you through some of the
basic foundations of watercolour painting that no one
bothered to show him at school. In fact, Bobs
experience of art at school is like so many others!

So many of my students have told me that they passed through school wanting
to learn art, but were frustrated that they were never taught basic techniques like
drawing skills. Far too often they were told to 'follow the rules of art' and concentrate
on creating 'mood' and 'energy' and 'themes'.

They tried, but floundered because they were never shown how to draw simple
shapes like trees or led through the principles of perspective. So they gave up
altogether. Sadly, they lost art - and art lost them...
This mirrors my own experience at school i.e. "...develop your theme and you'll pick
up the basics as you go along..."

Well no, actually you don't!

You need to understand some simple building blocks of drawing and painting
techniques before you get into the heady heights of symbolism and representation in
your work.

Why have so many "TV Artists" enjoyed such popularity in the last decade or so? It's
because... they show you how...!

I often wonder how long Catering Colleges would survive if their students weren't
shown how to beat an egg before they were let loose baking a Christmas cake...

.

Index of Lessons

age 3 Sect|on 1: Create Whatever ou Want W|th S|mp|e Shapes

age 9 Sect|on 2: keep|ng 1h|ngs |n erspect|ve

age 13 Sect|on 3: Co|our M|x|ng W|thout 1ears

age 20 Sect|on 4: M|x|ng Greys And Greens

age 2S Sect|on S: a|nt A S|mp|e C|oudy Sky

age 31 Sect|on 6: Creat|ng 8e||evab|e 1rees

age 39 Sect|on 7: 8as|c kef|ect|ons

age 42 Sect|on 8: Lnhance our Landscape W|th S|mp|e I|gures

age 4S Sect|on 9: utt|ng It A|| 1ogether

age S8 What Is Waterco|our Secrets?


Watercolour Secrets
SECTION 1

CREATE WHATEVER YOU
WANT WITH SIMPLE SHAPES
ww.waLercoloursecreLs.com age 4

1. uslng baslc shapes Lo creaLe any ob[ecL, wheLher lL's a flower, a flgure, anlmal or anyLhlng else lsn'L new.
lL's been used for hundreds of years. 8reaklng down an apparenLly complex ob[ecL Lo a serles of baslc shapes
makes lL a whole loL easler Lo draw before you even have Lo Lhlnk abouL addlng palnL!

A
8
C
2. l [usL use flve baslc shapes - clrcle, square, oblong, oval and Lrlangle, as (A) above. ?ou can see how you can
easlly manlpulaLe Lhese shapes (8) below, by sLreLchlng or compresslng Lhem Lo sulL your sub[ecL. And don'L
Lhlnk you have Lo draw your baslc shapes as neaLly as l've achleved wlLh Lhese compuLer lmages. All LhaL's
necessary ls someLhlng llke my (very!) rough ouLllnes (C) furLher down. 1hese rough shapes are whaL l used ln all
of Lhe "#$%&'()(*& +%'&%$, -.- /(*&,%
0
lessons Lo creaLe Lhe sub[ecL maLLer l happened Lo be worklng on....
WA1LkCCLCUk SLCkL1S 1I:
l've dellberaLely drawn many guldellnes LhroughouL Lhls shorL-course a loL
heavler Lhan Lhey need Lo be, llke Lhe ones above. 1hls ls so you can see
Lhem easler. Powever, l recommend you keep your own guldellnes as llghL
as posslble - [usL enough Lo be able Lo see Lhem. 1hen, when you come Lo
erase Lhem havlng drawn your flnlshed lLem, Lhey'll be much easler Lo
erase and Lhls ls less llkely Lo damage your paper.


4. llrsL you have Lhe foxglove
(lefL) wlLh lLs long, dlsLlncLlve
LrumpeL shape and Lhen below
LhaL, Lhe Lullp wlLh lLs equally well
known... erm... Lullp shape!

S. 1hese shapes l've shown as
doLLed llnes glve you Lhe perfecL
basls of 'scaffoldlng' Lo go on and
draw more reallsLlc ouLllnes
(boLLom of page) , wlLh all of Lhe
added Lhe confldence LhaL glves
you, LhaL you've 'caughL' Lhe rlghL
shapes, ready for palnLlng.

6. And don'L forgeL, you don'L
have Lo produce a deLalled
drawlng - you only need an
ouLllne lf you're golng Lo add
palnL. ln facL, as a general rule
wlLh waLercolours, Lhe less pencll
marks Lhe beLLer, as Loo many
can make Lhlngs look cluLLered
and scruffy. 1he ouLllnes, on Lhe
lefL are more Lhan enough Lo glve
you an accuraLe basls for addlng
your palnL.

3. Pere, you can see how, [usL by
uslng Lrlangles and ovals
sLreLched ln dlfferenL ways, you
can produce Lhe ldeal shape for
Lwo compleLely dlfferenL flowers.


10. ln Lhls nexL plcLure (rlghL), l've sLarLed Lo
ouLllne Lhe more reallsLlc shape of Lhe
kangaroo. 1he red guldellnes have been paled
off so Lhls shows more clearly. l've also lnked
ln Lhe shape so lL shows up beLLer. normally l
would be dolng Lhls blL ln pencll.

?ou can see from Lhe pale red llnes LhaL l
haven'L Lrled Lo follow Lhem very closely ln
cerLaln areas - around Lhe head and Lhe Lop
of Lhe kangaroo's back, for example. So
always bear ln mlnd $1%,% #&% (2)3 4*56%)52%,
$( 1%)7 3(* Lo place feaLures ln Lhe rlghL
poslLlon and correcLly proporLloned. lf you
geL Lhe guldellnes wrong flrsL Llme, slmply rub
Lhem ouL and re-do Lhem!
8. 1he beauLy of Lhls approach ls LhaL you can use whaLever
shapes sulL you. ?ou don'L have Lo use Lhe same ones l've
shown - you could, for example, use varlous slzes of long
ovals for Lhe legs and an oblong for Lhe face.

9. 8emember, slmple shapes are merely a means Lo geL
your baslc ouLllne correcL - and lL's much easler Lo erase
and re-do a baslc shape LhaL's wrong, raLher Lhan rubblng
ouL a deLalled parL of Lhe body LhaL you've laboured over
for an hour, knowlng all Lhe Llme deep down LhaL's lL [usL
noL golng rlghL....!

7. We can move Lhls ldea on easlly Lo produce Lhe same
ouLcome for whaL mlghL !""#!$ Lo be more complex
sub[ecLs - buL really aren'L lf you Lake lL one sLep aL a
Llme. Anlmals are a case ln polnL. See how l've puL
shapes round Lhe maln parLs of Lhe kangaroo ln Lhe rlghL
hand phoLo. 1ake Lhe phoLo away (below) and see how
Lhe red 'scaffoldlng 'already looks llke a preLLy good
represenLaLlon of Lhe anlmal.


11. now lf l was [usL golng Lo
produce a pencll or lnk drawlng,
Lhe fully shaded skeLch on Lhe
rlghL ls whaL l would produce. l
could add some llghL washes of
palnL over Lhls provlded l'd used
waLerproof lnk so lL wouldn'L
smudge.

12. Powever lf Lhls was golng Lo
be parL of a 'convenLlonal'
waLercolour palnLlng, l wouldn'L
puL ln Lhls amounL of deLall - [usL
a baslc, llghLly- skeLched or Lraced
ouLllne on my waLercolour paper.
Pere's Lhe demonsLraLlon skeLch l produced ln one of Lhe lessons ln Lhe "#$%&'()(*& +%'&%$, -.- /(*&,%
08
Powever,
don'L Lry Lo draw Lhls, compleLe wlLh all Lhe guldellnes LhaL wlll need eraslng, dlrecLly onLo your WaLercolour paper.

1he ouLllne was developed exacLly as l've descrlbed, buL on cheap copy paper and %&#' l Lraced lL onLo WaLercolour
paper Lo ensure l was palnLlng over a clean lmage on an undamaged palnLlng surface. See nexL page for how Lo do Lhls.


8ough urawlng 8everse Slde
6. now place Lhe skeLch Lhe rlghL way round on your waLercolour paper and draw over lL as
descrlbed when uslng Lhe Lrace-down paper above. LlLher meLhod should Lransfer a good enough
lmage LhaL wlll allow you Lo palnL. uon'L press Loo hard when Lraclng over your skeLch as lL wlll puL
grooves lnLo your waLercolour paper whlch may flll ln wlLh palnL and cause an unwanLed ouLllne.

S. 1he second way ls sllghLly messler buL much cheaper. Pere on Lhe lefL below we have our rough skeLch of a blson.
1urn Lhe sheeL over and Lake a falrly sofL pencll such as a 28 and scrlbble on Lhe back of your rough skeLch as ln Lhe
rlghL hand plcLure. 1here's no need Lo scrlbble all over Lhe skeLch - [usL Lhe parLs where you have drawn any llnes. lf
you look carefully, you can [usL see Lhe lmage showlng Lhrough from Lhe oLher slde of Lhe sheeL here.

1. l've menLloned several Llmes ln Lhls
LuLorlal abouL 'Lraclng down' from a rough
skeLch Lo your waLercolour paper.

2. 1here are Lwo maln ways Lo do Lhls.
llrsL, as ln Lhe phoLo on Lhe lefL, you can
buy speclal graphlLe Lraclng paper.

3. 1hls ls used exacLly as you would use
carbon paper, l.e. you puL lL, graphlLe slde
down, beLween Lhe orlglnal rough drawlng
and Lhe waLercolour paper.

4. 1hen draw llghLly over Lhe ouLllne of
your orlglnal skeLch and Lhe lmage ls
Lransferred onLo Lhe waLercolour paper Lo
glve you a clean, Lldy lmage Lo palnL on
wlLhouL damaglng Lhe palnLlng surface.

WaLercolour
aper
CraphlLe
aper
8ough SkeLch

Porlzon or eye-
llne
v v

Watercolour Secrets
SECTION 2

KEEPING THINGS IN
PERSPECTIVE


A

8
Porlzon or eye-llne
1

2
2

1. erspecLlve ls Lhe way LhaL you draw a plcLure so LhaL you
creaLe Lhe llluslon of a foreground, mlddle ground and Lhe
dlsLance. Cb[ecLs appear Lo geL smaller as Lhey geL furLher away
buL Lhey also change shape sllghLly, dependlng on Lhe helghL or
angle LhaL you're vlewlng Lhem.

2. Always Lry Lo draw (or lmaglne) a horlzon llne (or eye-llne) ln
your plcLure. uraw lL llghLly as you may wanL Lo erase lL laLer
when everyLhlng ls drawn ln Lhe rlghL place. lL's called Lhe eye-llne
because lL ls #)9#3, Lhe same helghL as Lhe helghL of your eyes
from ground level as lf you are looklng sLralghL ahead.

3. Look aL Lhe Lwo plcLures (rlghL). ln 'A' Lhe horlzon (eye-llne) has
been drawn abouL of Lhe way up Lhe plcLure. See how your
vlew of Lhe scene auLomaLlcally rlses up ln Lhe alr Lo follow Lhe
eye-llne - you appear Lo be looklng down on Lhe scene abouL
several feeL above Lhe flgure, as lf from an upsLalrs wlndow.

4. ln '8' by drawlng my eye-llne near Lhe boLLom of Lhe sheeL, my vlew has also dropped rlghL down as lf l'm slLLlng on
Lhe floor. ln 'A' you see much more of Lhe red S-shaped road Lhan ln '8'. 8uL noLlce LhaL where Lhe road runs dlrecLly
away from you on Lhe bends (eg: lmmedlaLely Lo Lhe rlghL of Lhe flgure ln '8') you see lLs full wldLh, as opposed Lo Lhe
foreshorLened wldLh as lL veers backwards and forwards across Lhe plcLure. 1he flgure ln '8' also rlses qulLe a blL
above Lhe horlzon because he's ln Lhe foreground and you're vlewlng Lhe scene from a low poslLlon.

S. now look aL Lhe plcLures lefL and below of a more reallsLlc
beachslde scene. See how Lhe prlnclples work exacLly as
descrlbed above. ln lcLure 1, because Lhe horlzon llne ls much
hlgher, you can see more of Lhe sea and more lnslde Lhe boaL
Lhan ln plcLure 2 where your eye-llne ls below Lhe half-way
polnL of Lhe plcLure. And noLe how Lhe vlslble sea area has been
compressed ln plcLure 2 Lo less Lhan half Lhe area ln plcLure 1,
yeL boLh plcLures look ln Lhe correcL perspecLlve.


Porlzon or eye-llne
v v

v v
Porlzon or eye-llne
v
v
Porlzon or eye-llne
10. ln Lhe Creen house, we've drawn Lhe horlzon
llne along Lhe boLLom of Lhe bulldlng so all Lhe
perspecLlve llnes have had Lo be drawn above lL -
some qulLe sLeeply as we geL up Lo roof level.

11. 1hls now glves us Lhe opposlLe vlew Lo Lhe
8lue house. Pere, lL's as lf we are lylng down on
Lhe floor, looklng up aL Lhe bulldlng. lf you've
ever come home worse Lhe wear for drlnk, Lhls
may be a famlllar vlew....

6. 1hese dlagrams explaln how [usL by alLerlng Lhe horlzon llne (your eye-llne) you can change Lhe perspecLlve of a
bulldlng very slmply lndeed. l've added some doLLed perspecLlve llnes on whlch slL Lhe horlzonLal llnes of Lhe door,
roof and wlndows. ?ou can draw Lhese wlLh a ruler Lo use as guldellnes. uraw llghLly so you can erase Lhem laLer.

7. 1he 'v' Lo Lhe lefL and rlghL ls a LheoreLlcal vanlshlng olnL where Lhese llnes appear Lo converge. 1hey don'L of
course, buL Lhey do glve you a convenlenL polnL from whlch Lo sLarL your llnes. lmaglne Lhem as spokes on a blcycle
wheel radlaLlng from Lhe v. ?ou can add as many of Lhese llnes as you wlsh Lo help you geL Lhe perspecLlve of doors,
wlndows and roof-llnes correcL. lf you use Lhese gulde llnes ln Lhe way l've descrlbed you'll never geL your perspecLlve
wrong agaln. 8y Lhe way, noLlce ln Lhe 8ed house LhaL l've used Lhe green eye-llne as one of Lhe perspecLlve llnes. ?ou
don'L have Lo, buL ln Lhls case lL was a convenlenL llne on whlch Lo slL Lhe boLLom of Lhe wlndows.
8. ?ou'll also noLlce wlLh Lhe 8ed Pouse LhaL some of Lhe red llnes fall below Lhe eye-llne and some rlse above lL. ln
Lhe 8ed Pouse, Lhe eye-llne ls abouL your normal sLandlng helghL - ln oLher words, abouL of Lhe way up Lhe door.
As a resulL, you are looklng down aL Lhe parLs of Lhe bulldlng below Lhe eye-llne and up aL Lhe resL of Lhe bulldlng
above lL. :1%&%;(&% $1% ,5<7)% &*)% 5, $1#$ #23 7%&,7%'$5=% )52%, 6&#92 #>(=% $1% %3%?)52% 95)) &5,% *7 #26 #23 6&#92
>%)(9@ 95)) <(=% 6(928 now LhaL we know Lhls rule, lL's easy Lo ad[usL Lhe vlew we have of a bulldlng.

9. ln Lhe 8lue house, Lo geL Lhls vlew of belng above lL -or cerLalnly aL roof level - Lhe roof ls placed along Lhe eye-llne
and so all Lhe oLher perspecLlve llnes have Lo be drawn downwards and below lL. AuLomaLlcally, your vlew rlses up as
lf you're looklng aL Lhe 8lue house from an upsLalrs wlndow....

A

Lye-Llne
Lye-Llne
8

C

Lye-Llne

1. now whaL abouL oLher feaLures such as looklng aL
Lhlngs sllghLly slde-on? Well, leL's look aL an arched
brldge over a rlver. Cnce agaln, LhaL eye-llne ls Lhe key.

2. Look aL Lhese Lhree ouLwardly slmllar skeLches. ln 'A'
Lhe vlew ls as lf you're slLLlng ln a boaL ln Lhe exacL
cenLre of Lhe rlver, looklng sLralghL Lhrough Lhe arches.
?our eye llne, marked wlLh Lhe red doLLed llne, ls
Lherefore very low down.

4. ln skeLch '8' (lefL) see how l've seL my eye-llne
Lowards Lhe Lop of Lhe arches by drawlng Lhe rlver
banks aL a sLeeper angle Lhan ln Lhe flrsL skeLch. 8lghL
away, my vlew of Lhe rlver ls several feeL above lL.

S. l've also palnLed [usL Lhe rlghL hand slde of Lhe
arches whlch now pushes my hlgher vlew away from
Lhe mlddle of Lhe rlver and Lo Lhe lefL of Lhe brldge.
6. ln skeLch 'C' above, l've drawn Lhe rlver banks even sLeeper and
Lhls Llme, added Lhe lnner arches on Lhe lefL slde. My vlew Lherefore
goes off Lo Lhe rlghL and ls hlgh enough now Lo lnclude Lhe far wall of
Lhe brldge. noLe also wlLh all Lhree skeLches we can see all of Lhe
underslde of Lhe arches ln Lhe reflecLlons ln Lhe waLer because we're
vlewlng Lhe reflecLlons from a dlfferenL angle Lhan Lhe brldge lLself.
We'll look aL LhaL ln a llLLle more deLall laLer on.

7. llnally, on Lhe lefL l've puL all Lhe skeLches LogeLher so you can see
how easy lL ls, [usL by alLerlng Lhe angle of a few llnes here and
Lhere, Lo change your vlewpolnL up, down and sldeways aL wlll.
3. noLlce also how Lhe rlver banks, marked by Lhe dark doLLed llnes, are drawn aL a very shallow angle Lo Lhe eye-llne,
whlch emphaslses LhaL your vlew ls rlghL down aL waLer level. ?ou also see a llLLle of Lhe lnslde of boLh arches - buL
Lhe opposlLe sldes of each one - because you're looklng aL Lhem sLralghL on from Lhe cenLre of Lhe rlver.

Watercolour Secrets
SECTION 3

COLOUR MIXING WITHOUT
TEARS


1. LeL's geL Lhe mosL baslc (and for many, Lhe mosL borlng) parL of colour mlxlng Lheory ouL of Lhe way. Pundreds of
books and Lhousands of arLlcles have been wrlLLen abouL colour Lheory, buL l'm golng Lo deal wlLh Lhe absoluLe baslcs
on Lhls one A4 page - and much of LhaL wlll be Laken up by Lhe phoLos!

2. 1here are $1&%% 7&5<#&3 '()(*&, - red, blue and yellow. 1hese are called prlmary colours because you can'L mlx any
oLher colours Lo creaLe Lhem. ?ou may well have heard of a colour wheel, complemenLary colours and colours belng
placed 'on opposlLe sldes of Lhe colour wheel' - whlch all sounds a blL Lechnlcal, buL ls really very slmple.

S. Cne of Lhe beneflLs of placlng a prlmary colour and lLs complemenLary colour nexL Lo each oLher ls LhaL Lhey boLh
make each oLher look much more vlbranL. Powever, lf you mlx Lhem LogeLher, you creaLe a dull grey or brown. 1hls
happens because by mlxlng Lhem LogeLher, effecLlvely you're Lhen mlxlng Lhe Lhree prlmarles of red, blue and yellow.
Powever, we'll see laLer on how you can explolL Lhls slLuaLlon by mlxlng a wlde range of your own greys and blacks.

6. 8emember LhaL for cenLurles, arLlsLs have placed complemenLary colours nexL Lo each oLher ln Lhelr palnLlngs Lo
creaLe a subLle vlbrancy and brllllance. And when Lhey wanL Lo Lone down a colour, Lhey've done so wlLh a Louch of lLs
complemenLary colour, whlch glves much more harmonlous and saLlsfylng shade, raLher Lhan addlng black, whlch can
all Loo easlly klll a colour (and a plcLure) sLone dead. Pave a look above aL Lhe complemenLary colours of yellow and
purple. laced nexL Lo each oLher, Lhey're vlbranL and brlghL. Mlxed LogeLher, as on Lhe rlghL Lhey're anyLhlng buL....
ComplemenLary Colours
Creen
creaLed
from ?ellow
& 8lue
urple
creaLed from
8ed & 8lue
Crange
creaLed from
8ed & ?ellow
3. Pave a look aL Lhe colour wheel on Lhe rlghL. lL
conLalns slx colours - Lhe Lhree prlmarles of red,
blue and yellow - and $1&%% ,%'(26#&3 '()(*&,,
purple, orange and green. 1hey are called
secondary colours because Lhey are creaLed by
mlxlng Lwo prlmary colours - red and blue for
purple, red and yellow for orange, blue and
yellow for green.

4. ?ou can see LhaL Lhe secondary colours have
been placed on Lhe wheel beLween Lhe Lwo
prlmarles LhaL creaLed Lhem. Cn Lhe opposlLe
slde of Lhe colour wheel Lo each secondary colour
ls a prlmary colour - lLs '(<7)%<%2$#&3 '()(*&.
So red ls opposlLe Lo and Lhe complemenLary
colour of green, blue Lhe complemenLary of
orange and yellow Lhe complemenLary of purple.
1hls ls explalned more fully (buL [usL as slmply) ln
Lhe "#$%&'()(*& +%'&%$, -.- /(*&,%
0
and you
can go lnLo a loL more deLall lf you wanL, buL Lhe
baslc prlnclple ls no more compllcaLed Lhan LhaL.


1. Cne of Lhe mosL frusLraLlng problems Lhe asplrlng
waLercolourlsL faces ls how Lo conLrol Lhe way waLercolour
palnL spreads - aL Llmes ln a mosL frusLraLlng and
unpredlcLable way.

2. uon'L worry, lL's noL nearly as dlfflculL as you Lhlnk and ln
facL, WaLercolour palnLs are Lhe provlnce of many happy
accldenLs - where Lhe palnL produces a wonderful effecL
LhaL you never envlsaged, buL whlch you happlly Lake Lhe
credlL for - especlally when lL's laLer admlred by oLhers....!

3. robably Lhe Lwo blggesL reasons for success - or fallure -
ln WaLercolour palnLlng are pa|nt strength and t|m|ng. 8y
palnL sLrengLh we slmply mean how much or how llLLle
waLer ls ln Lhe palnL mlx. 8y Llmlng, lL's down Lo when you
add a layer of palnL Lo damp paper or one LhaL already has
a molsL coaL of palnL on lL. So leL's look aL how Lhese can be
manlpulaLed Lo your advanLage ln Lhese Lwo examples
Laken from Lhe "#$%&'()(*& +%'&%$, -.- /(*&,%
0
.

3. Look aL Lhese Lwo paLches of palnL on Lhe rlghL. 1he
paper was on a drawlng board on a sllghL slope so Lhe palnL
naLurally ran from Lop Lo boLLom....

4. 8oLh Lhe plcLures have a base colour of
medlum sLrengLh 8aw Slenna. ln each case Lhe
paper was placed on a sloplng drawlng board so
Lhe palnL would run down from Lop Lo boLLom.

S. ln Lhe Lop plcLure, whlle Lhe 8aw Slenna was
sLlll very weL, l puL on a sLrong mlx of ulLramarlne
and LlghL 8ed. See how Lhls sLrong mlx has run
unconLrollably, has been dlluLed by Lhe weL 8aw
Slenna and ln facL has almosL dlsappeared,
creaLlng an elephanL's head shape as lL's run down
Lhe page (happy accldenL ?(()

6. Powever, Lhe lefL hand plcLure was lefL for Lhe
8aw Slenna Lo dry for abouL 90 seconds Lo [usL
damp before Lhe 8lue/8ed mlx was added. lL's sLlll
spread sllghLly, buL l've been able Lo conLrol Lhls
far more readlly and Lhe palnL has sLayed much
nearer lLs orlglnal lnLenslLy.

A
WeL
8
WeL
A
ury
8
ury
1. now waLercolours dry around 30 llghLer
Lhan when Lhey're puL on weL. 8uL whaL does
Lhls 30 look llke? Well, here's a good
example where you ofLen end up wlLh a sky
LhaL's Loo waLery and lnslpld. ln Lhe plcLure
l've palnLed four panels. ln 'A WeL' Lhls ls Lhe
sLrengLh of palnL LhaL mosL newcomers puL on
Lhelr sky. 8ecause lL's qulLe sLrong and a
medlum blue when lL's weL, lL looks rlghL.

2. Powever, ln Lhe lower panel Lhls ls how lL
drles, pale and washed ouL - wlLh llLLle chance
of llfLlng ouL clouds LhaL wlll acLually show up!

3. ln '8 WeL' Lhls ls whaL your palnL )&*+,- look
llke when lL flrsL goes on Lhe paper. lL may look
Loo sLrong when you puL lL on, buL see how
much lL llghLens ln Lhe panel below lL.

4. And noLe how ln '8 ury' Lhe colour ls as dark
as Lhe orlglnal weL wash LhaL was puL down ln
Lhe Lop lefL panel....
7. now, movlng on Lo colour-mlxlng, Lhe
nexL 'WaLercolour SecreL' ls Lo
undersLand Lhe lmporLance of Lhe
strength of colour you use. ln Lhe Lop
plcLure l've made Lhree mlxes of LlghL
8ed. 1he lefL-hand well has 3 brush-
loads of waLer and one of palnL, Lhe
cenLre well, Lhree of waLer and Lwo of
palnL and Lhe far one, Lhree of each.

8. 1he lower plcLure shows whaL Lhese
colours look llke once Lhey have drled
on your paper. See how much llghLer
Lhey've gone Lhan Lhe llquld verslons ln
Lhe paleLLe. ln facL l'd regard even Lhe
sLrongesL on Lhe rlghL Lo be only a mld-
Lone - so you can see [usL how bold you
can afford Lo be wlLh Lhe sLrengLh of
palnL you mlx!

Damp, med|um strength
pa|nt a|ready on the paper
1hen a more watery
wash |s added on top....
1he same area |eft untouched
[ust 3 m|nutes |ater....
S. now, Lhe nexL blg sLep ls learnlng Lo
puL one colour on Lop of anoLher LhaL's
sLlll damp, wlLhouL causlng Lhose awful
run-backs and caullflowers LhaL are Lhe
curse of Lhe newcomer (and noL-so-
newcomer!) Lo waLercolours.

6. LeL's have a look flrsL aL how Lo creaLe
a caullflower. 1hls wlll really help
because once you undersLand &*/ !'-
/&0 lL happens, lL's easy Lo avold ln Lhe
fuLure. We'll look agaln aL a sky because
LhaL's where lL mosL ofLen happens ln a
plcLure - and usually ln Lhe mosL
promlnenL place!

7. WlLhouL geLLlng Loo Lechnlcal, Lhe
problem arlses when you Lry Lo puL a
waLery wash on Lop of a sLlll damp layer.
1he waLer ln Lhls second wash llfLs Lhe
plgmenL already on Lhe paper and
pushes lL Lo one slde. When Lhe waLery
wash flnally seLLles lnLo Lhe paper, so
does Lhe dlsplaced plgmenL, glvlng you
Lhe classlc Llde mark and caullflower
ouLllne ln your sky.

8. ?ou can see ln Lhe Lop plcLure how,
lnsLead of addlng a Lhln wash, Lhe brush
looks llke lL's sLarLlng Lo llfL palnL off.
WhaL's happenlng ls LhaL Lhe waLer on
Lhe brush ls belng sucked onLo Lhe damp
paper by caplllary acLlon and Lhls waLer
ls sLarLlng Lo push Lhe plgmenL already
Lhere Lo one slde.

9. ln Lhe lower phoLo l've lefL Lhe plcLure
unLouched for only abouL Lhree mlnuLes
and you can see how much damage has
been done as Lhe waLery wash has
spread ouL before lL's sLarLed Lo dry.
never mlnd, leL's look aL Lhe easy
soluLlon ln Lhe followlng pages.


lf you're noL sure of Lhe dlfference beLween 'shlny'
and 'sheen' Lhlnk of Lhe surface of a gloss-palnLed
bedroom door and one wlLh a saLln flnlsh.

3. So, Lhe soluLlon ls very sLralghL-forward. 1o
avold caullflowers ln Lhe fuLure, you need Lo
<#A% ,*&% $1#$ #23 )#3%& (; 7#52$ 3(* #66 5,
,$&(24%& $1#2 $1% (2% $1#$B, #)&%#63 (2 $1%
7#7%& #26 ,$5)) 9%$ - ln oLher words, lL has
more plgmenL ln lL Lhan Lhe precedlng layer.

1. Look agaln aL Lhe examples l showed ln
SLage 1 of Lhls LuLorlal. Lven Lhough Lhe palnL
has run ln Lhe far lmage because l puL lL on
when Lhe 8aw Slenna layer was Loo weL, lL
hasn'L gone lnLo a caullflower because I used
a strong m|x of Lhe darker colour, l.e. sLronger
Lhan Lhe 8aw Slenna LhaL was already on Lhe
paper....1here was enough plgmenL ln LhaL
second mlx Lo sLop Lhe waLer runnlng amok
and creaLlng a run-back.

2. Cn Lhe rlghL, you can see how sLrong
Lhe palnL acLually had Lo be. ln Lhe close-
up of Lhe paleLLe you can see Lhe dark,
weL palnL LhaL was used from Lhe rlghL-
hand well, as opposed Lo Lhe same mlx buL
wlLh Loo much waLer ln Lhe oLher one.
underneaLh LhaL plcLure ls whaL Lhe
colours look llke, when Lhey've drled ouL
on dry paper.

4. And of course, don'L forgeL Llmlng. Look aL Lhese Lwo plcLures
of a 8aw Slenna wash, Laken abouL 90 seconds aparL. 1he Lop
one has plcked up a shlny reflecLlon from Lhe camera flash
whereas Lhe lower one has a much more muLed hlghllghL -
usually, Lhe ldeal polnL Lo add your nexL layer of palnL....

S. AdopLlng Lhls ldea ln a pracLlcal sense, and
uslng Lhe sLrong mlx from Lhe paleLLe plcLured on
Lhe prevlous page, see how we can confldenLly
place some warm grey clouds over Lhe damp 8aw
Slenna wash Lo creaLe Lhe basls of a lovely
evenlng sky!

6. 8uL look also how LhaL dark wash has already
dlluLed wlLh Lhe waLer ln Lhe paper! Powever,
lL's only spread a llLLle and lL's much easler Lo
conLrol where you wanL lL Lo go because we've
leL Lhe base colour go Lo LhaL damp sheen....
7. ln Lhe close-up rlghL, l've now Louched ln some
almosL neaL ulLramarlne 8lue Lo glve some sLrengLh
and varlaLlon ln Lhe cloud colour. ?ou only need Lo
Louch Lhe paper here and Lhere wlLh Lhe palnL - lL
wlll run off Lhe brush onLo Lhe paper. 1hen leL lL
spread lLs own way. And see how Lhe lefL slde of Lhe
cloud has also sLarLed Lo dry, creaLlng a nlce mlxLure
of hard and sofL-edged effecLs - anoLher happy
accldenL!

8. 1o flnlsh off Lhls llLLle
exerclse, l puL ln a few [agged
sLreaks for more dlsLanL
clouds. 8y Lhe Llme Lhese
were added, Lhe underlylng
8aw Slenna wash was almosL
dry. ?ou can Lell Lhls from Lhe
relaLlvely hard edges of Lhese
smaller clouds. Powever, 2(9
l was able Lo use paler, more
waLery palnL Lo creaLe Lhese
clouds wlLhouL problems as lL
can'L push drled palnL around
as easlly as weL palnL....

9. So geL your colour sLrengLh rlghL, waLch your
Llmlng and when you Lackle Lhe maln Skles LuLorlal,
you'll be able Lo confldenLly produce Lhose cloud
shadows wlLhouL fear of Lhe dreaded caullflower!

Watercolour Secrets
SECTION 4

MIXING GREYS & GREENS


1. AlLhough we ofLen Lhlnk of landscapes as full of varlous greens, lL's also lmporLanL LhaL you have avallable a wlde
range of greys whlch you need for rocks, sLones, roads, Lree Lrunks, skles and a hosL of oLher feaLures. ?ou can
purchase varlous greens and greys ln Lubes and pans, buL Lhls more or less llmlLs you Lo Lhe colours you buy. ?ou can
however save yourself a loL of money and mlx a vasL range of greens and greys from your oLher colours. Pere's how.

2. LeL's look aL greys flrsL. Cne of Lhe lronles of waLercolour palnLlng ls Lhe newcomer's ablllLy Lo creaLe a whole
varleLy of grey 'mud' colours Lhey don'L wanL - colours LhaL have been over-mlxed or puL on aL Lhe wrong Llme whlch
makes your plcLure look llke you've dropped lL ln Lhe nearesL sludge Lank. ?eL ln Lhe rlghL conLexL, Lhese grey colours
are exacLly whaL you need for all sorLs of slLuaLlons - rocks, walls, dlsLanL mounLalns and Lrees - even mud!

ulLramarlne
Lhalo
LlghL 8ed
8urnL umber
Lhalo
ulLramarlne
8urnL umber
LlghL 8ed
3. Look aL Lhls slmple colour charL uslng [usL Lwo blues and Lwo reds/browns. 1hey've been mlxed wlLh each
oLher ln dlfferenL proporLlons Lo creaLe a range of greys LhaL wlll cover many slLuaLlons. l've sLarLed wlLh one
brushful of blue on Lhe lefL Lhen added one, Lhen Lwo, Lhen Lhree brushfuls of red/brown, flnlshlng wlLh Lhe
neaL red/brown on Lhe rlghL. ?ou can easlly see how you could vary Lhese mlxes much more by ad[usLlng Lhe
proporLlons and/or by maklng Lhem sLronger or more waLery. LlLerally dozens of greys wlll Lhen emerge.

4. lf you go on Lo use dlfferenL blues, browns and reds - Cerulean 8lue, CobalL 8lue, 8aw umber, Sepla and
Cadmlum 8ed for example - Lhen Lhe opLlons are almosL llmlLless. 8emember, blue and red don'L necessarlly
make purple. lf Lhe red naLurally has some yellow ln lL, such as Cadmlum 8ed, Lhen mlxed wlLh say, Lhalo
8lue, you wlll geL a deflnlLe grey. Powever, you're Lhen on Lhe way Lo undersLandlng 1(9 #26 913 greys are
creaLed, whlch means lL's much easler Lo #=(56 produclng Lhem as unwanLed mud ln your nexL plcLure!


7. Cn Lhe rlghL here, by
ad[usLlng Lhe proporLlon of each
of Lhese prlmarles ln Lurn, you
can very easlly creaLe a
grey/black LhaL's blased
Lowards blue, red or yellow -
far more useful and vlbranL LhaL
mosL black palnL sLralghL ouL of
Lhe Lube.

S. ?ou can also mlx a whole varleLy of subLle blacks uslng Lhe same meLhod. 8lack ls, afLer all, noLhlng more
Lhan a very sLrong grey! !usL make sure you use very sLrong palnL and relaLlvely llLLle waLer Lo geL Lhe depLh
of colour you wanL.

6. ln Lhe lefL hand plcLure below l've mlxed Lhree prlmary colours - red blue and yellow - wlLh very llLLle
waLer added and you can see LhaL Lhey creaLe an excellenL black (more money saved)! 1hese happen Lo be
ulLramarlne, ?ellow Cchre and ermanenL 8ose, buL you can achleve slmllar resulLs wlLh vlrLually any Lhree
prlmarles. Add waLer and a useful Lonal range of LhaL grey appears as ln Lhe rlghL hand plcLure.


1. now leL's look aL greens. WlLh [usL Lhe Lwo blues and Lwo yellows, a whole range of greens Lo sulL all seasons ls
avallable. ln Lhe charL below ls [usL a small selecLlon.

2. As wlLh Lhe greys, l've sLarLed ouL on Lhe lefL wlLh a blue and Lhen added addlLlonal brushfuls of yellow unLll l'm
lefL wlLh Lhe pure yellow on Lhe rlghL.

3. 8y produclng Lhls sorL of slmple charL and noLlng how much of each colour you've used, you can always reproduce
Lhe same colour on demand.

4. And once agaln, noLlce how some comblnaLlons of blue and yellow produce a grey raLher Lhan green.
1he mlx clrcled on Lhe Lop llne ls a case ln polnL. 1hls happens because ulLramarlne 8lue has a Louch of
red ln lLs make up, so addlng a llLLle ?ellow Cchre Lo lL effecLlvely mlxes Lhose Lhree prlmary colours
LogeLher. And we saw whaL happens when you mlx Lhree prlmarles on Lhe prevlous sheeL....

ulLramarlne
Lhalo
Lemon ?ellow
?ellow Cchre
?ellow Cchre
Lemon ?ellow
ulLramarlne
Lhalo


S. now a qulck word abouL vlrldlan Creen, whlch
appears ln many sLarLer palnL seLs. vlrldlan ls a vlbranL
pre-mlxed, blue - green LhaL a loL of people have
problems wlLh because lL can be so overpowerlng.
1here's noLhlng wrong wlLh lL and lL's greaL lf you use
lL for cerLaln Lypes of sea colour or as a mlxer wlLh
oLher colours. ersonally, l don'L recommend lL for
beglnners Lhough because you can mlx so many
alLernaLlve greens Lhe way l've prevlously descrlbed.

6. lf you do use lL, Lry addlng anoLher colour Lo Lone lL
down. ln Lhe plcLure A on Lhe lefL l've added a llLLle
8aw Slenna. 8ecause LhaL has a Louch of red ln lL (Lhe
complemenLary colour of green) lL naLurally reduces
some of Lhe lnLenslLy of Lhe pure vlrldlan colour.

7. lf you prefer Lo use a pre-mlxed green as a base for
your follage, Lry Sap Creen (plcLure 8) or Pookers
Creen. 1hese wlll provlde a good solld 'Lree/grass'
colour wlLhouL overpowerlng Lhe resL of your palnLlng.
8. llnally, remember, lf you wanL Lo Lone down a colour because lL's Loo brlghL - ln Lhls case
vlrldlan - 6(2B$ use black! lnsLead, use lLs complemenLary colour (for green lL's red). Pere
you can see on Lhe lefL, a block of un-reLouched vlrldlan. ln Lhe cenLre block l've added a
small amounL of Cadmlum 8ed and ln Lhe rlghL hand block, some more red. lf you add
enough of Lhe complemenLary colour you also achleve anoLher range of greys.

9. uslng complemenLary colours llke Lhls wlll generaLe much more harmony ln your palnLlngs
and lL's a sub[ecL we look aL ln some deLall ln Lhe "#$%&'()(*& +%'&%$, -.- /(*&,%
0
8

Cnce
you geL used Lo Lhe concepL, you'll wonder how any prevlous palnLlng succeeded, yeL lL's so
easy Lo undersLand once you're aware of lL.

A 8

Watercolour Secrets
SECTION 5

PAINTING A SIMPLE,
CLOUDY SKY


6. 1he flnlshed sky should Lake no more Lhan four
or flve mlnuLes or lL wlll sLarL Lo dry ouL whlle
you're ln Lhe mlddle of lL and cause you problems.

So leL's move qulckly onLo SLage 2 before your
paper -*#) dry ouL!

ou need:-
8ound 8rush no.10
ulLramarlne 8lue
?ellow Cchre (or
8aw Slenna)
ermanenL 8ose
8ocklngford 140lb
(300gsm) aper
klLchen Lowel
urawlng 8oard

e||ow kaw
Cchre S|enna
U|tra. erm.
8|ue kose
alnL
2. WlLh your no.10 brush, qulckly weL Lhe
whole of Lhe paper. lL needs Lo be falrly
damp, buL noL flooded.

3. Any excess waLer LhaL runs Lo Lhe
boLLom of Lhe paper can be llfLed off wlLh
a clean brush or klLchen Lowel. ?ou can
see from where Lhe flash has reflecLed
LhaL Lhls paper ls Loo weL aL presenL Lo
add any new layers of palnL. Leave lL for
anoLher 60-90 seconds.

4. WlLh your no.10 brush puL some pale
sLreaks of ?ellow Cchre (or 8aw Slenna)
across Lhe boLLom of Lhe sky. ln a full
palnLlng you would have a landscape aL
Lhe boLLom of Lhe page. ln LhaL case Lhe
yellow ochre sLreaks would go [usL above
Lhe horlzon llne.

S. 1hese sLreaks wlll dry ouL very pale
evenLually buL glve warmLh Lo Lhe sky,
especlally [usL above Lhe horlzon.

1. 1ape your paper Lo Lhe
board and resL Lhe Lop of
Lhe board so lL's on a
slope. A book or shorL
lengLh of wood abouL 2"
Lhlck (30mm) placed
under Lhe board aL Lhe
Lop ls ldeal, as ln Lhe
dlagram below. 1hls
makes Lhe waLer and
palnL run slowly down
Lhe paper, helplng you Lo
achleve an even wash for
your sky.

?ellow Cchre and 8aw Slenna are
very slmllar. ?ellow Cchre ls a blL
more opaque, whlle 8aw Slenna
has [usL a Louch more red ln lL.
LlLher one ls flne Lo use.

7. alnL a sLrong mlx of
ulLramarlne 8lue ln a
horlzonLal sLreak rlghL
across Lhe Lop of Lhe damp
paper. uo Lhls sLronger Lhan
you Lhlnk as lL wlll dry back
much llghLer - even more
so as Lhe paper ls already
weL.

8. now swlll your brush ln clean
waLer and puL lL lnLo your blue
palnL mlx. 1hls wlll dlluLe Lhe mlx
and wlLh a good brush-load of
Lhls llghLer palnL, add a second
sLreak below Lhe flrsL - rlghL
across Lhe paper agaln.
l'm dolng Lhls lefL Lo rlghL as l'm
lefL-handed. 8lghL-handed arLlsLs
wlll probably go rlghL Lo lefL.

10. ?ou should see Lhe sky llghLenlng sLeadlly as you
progress down Lhe page. 8y Lhe Llme you're near Lhe
?ellow Cchre sLreaks Lhere should be very llLLle blue
palnL on your brush - look aL Lhls boLLom phoLo Lo
see whaL l mean. See how Lhe blue aL Lhe Lop has
already llghLened conslderably afLer a mlnuLe or Lwo.
Also, noLlce Lhe sllky sheen on Lhe damp paper - noL
a hlgh gloss whlch would mean lL was sLlll Loo weL....

11. ?ou can leave Lhe sky as lL ls aL Lhls
polnL and lL wlll provlde a perfecL,
c|oud|ess summer sky lf you wanL lL Lo.
Powever, we're golng Lo Lake lL on a
couple of sLages furLher Lo add some
very slmple clouds and cloud shadows.
So leL's move on Lo Lhe nexL sLage....

....and keep repeaLlng Lhls unLll you're
abouL 2/3 of Lhe way down Lhe paper....

9. LeL Lhe brush Louch Lhe base of Lhe sLreak above
as you do Lhls and see how lL drags Lhe palnL from
Lhe sLreak above evenly down Lhe paper....


Agaln, you could sLop aL Lhls polnL wlLh
Lhese genLle, wlspy clouds, buL leL's move
on and add some cloud shadows....

ury uamp
aper 1owel

Always have one cloud as Lhe domlnanL one wlLh
oLher, smaller clouds as Lhe 'supporLlng casL'.
13. keep llfLlng Lhe
brush off Lhe paper
and swllllng lL ln clean
waLer Lhen parLlally
dry lL on klLchen
Lowel. 1hls wlll avold
you puLLlng Lhe blue
palnL you've [usL llfLed
ouL, back lnLo anoLher
parL of Lhe sky.

12. now here's Lhe fun blL.
use a 1,#!'2 -!3" brush,
ro|||ng lL randomly across Lhe
Lop of Lhe sky. Cr you can use
klLchen Lowel. 1ry Lo have
some ldea of where you wanL
your clouds, buL don'L go mad
and overdo lL!

l've used a flaL brush here buL
lL doesn'L maLLer as long as
Lhe brush ls falrly large. A
large round wlll be [usL as
good. See also how havlng
Lhe sLrong blue colour Lo sLarL
wlLh allows Lhe whlLe clouds
Lo sLand ouL.

14. uslng Lhe klLchen Lowel as
ln Lhe boLLom phoLo here wlll
glve you a sllghLly dlfferenL
effecL. uampened paper
Lowel wlll glve a sofL cloud
edge more llke Lhe brush,
whlle a dry Lowel wlll glve a
more sharply deflned edge Lo
Lhe cloud. keep Lurnlng Lhe
Lowel Lo a clean area so you
don'L puL palnL back ln Lhe
sky. 1ry all Lhese meLhods Lo
see whlch works besL for you.
1S. noLe how l've kepL Lhe clouds slmple, varled ln slze and
llnked LogeLher. uo avold puLLlng several ldenLlcal, separaLe
clouds of exacLly Lhe same shape ln Lhe sky. noLhlng looks
worse Lhan Lhese 'balls of coLLon-wool' floaLlng ln mld-alr.


?ellow
Cchre
ulLramarlne
8lue
ermanenL
8ose
lf Lhe cloud shadow sLarLs Lo dlluLe and dlsappear, don'L panlc! LeL Lhe paper dry Lo [usL
damp Lhen drop ln a sLronger Louch of Lhe shadow mlx. 'urop ln' [usL means you Louch
Lhe damp paper llghLly and leL Lhe palnL run off Lhe brush on Lo lL by caplllary acLlon.

19. uab ln Lhe shadow mlx boLLom rlghL of your clouds. keep Lhe shapes random. 8efore Lhese shapes dry,
swlll ouL your brush ln clean waLer Lhen parLlally dry lL on klLchen Lowel so lL's [usL damp.

Pard SofL
Ldges
16. Mlx 30 ulLramarlne 8lue plus 30
ermanenL 8ose plus a llLLle ?ellow Cchre
Lo grey Lhlngs down a Louch. 1hls makes
a greaL cloud shadow colour. Make lL
good and sLrong because Lhe weL paper
wlll dlluLe lL more Lhan you mlghL Lhlnk....

noLe Lhe requlred sLrengLh of palnL
Lo make your cloud shadow Lhe
rlghL colour when lL's drled....

1he mlx ln Lhls well ls far Loo weak, alLhough
lL's qulLe close Lo how Lhe mlx on Lhe lefL
should look when lL's drled on Lhe paper...

17. Where ls Lhe sun comlng
from? ln my plcLure lL's from
Lhe Lop lefL so l need Lo palnL
Lhe shadows on Lhe boLLom
rlghL of Lhe clouds.

18. 8y now, Lhe paper should have drled a
llLLle so any remalnlng waLery shlne has been
replaced by a dull sheen. 1hls ls Lhe perfecL
Llme Lo add your shadow colour....
20. now drag Lhe clean, damp
brush ,45&%,0 over Lhe edges of
Lhe cloud shadow, pulllng ouL Lhe
colour Lo almosL noLhlng. 1hls
creaLes random hard and sofL-
edged effecLs (also known as
'losL' and 'found' edges) as Lhe
brush ls dragged lnLo damp and
dry areas. 6)# ! ,45&% %*+1&(
WlLh a llLLle pracLlce, you wlll
surprlse yourself how easy Lhls
becomes.


So Lhere we have lL |n a few s|mp|e steps - Lhree skles for Lhe prlce of one! Cn Lhe lefL below, we have a clear,
cloudless sky, Lhen on Lhe rlghL, a sunny one wlLh wlspy clouds. llnally, ln Lhe blg plcLure, we've puL ln Lhose lovely
cloud shadows for added lnLeresL.

And lf you wanL Lo see how easy lL ls Lo produce many oLher, dlfferenL Lypes of sky Lhen you'll flnd a hosL of sky
LuLorlals ln Lhe "#$%&'()(*& +%'&%$, -.- /(*&,%
0
. 8elleve me, wlLh a llLLle pracLlce, lL can Lake you less Llme Lo
produce a successful sky Lhan lL Lakes Lo read Lhrough Lhls LuLorlal. Co on - glve lL a go and amaze yourself!

Watercolour Secrets
SECTION 6

CREATING
BELIEVABLE TREES


1. 8efore we geL on Lo palnLlng Lrees leL's
see how easy lL ls Lo skeLch Lhem....

We've all played cards aL someLlme or
oLher, so use Lhe shape of Lhe Ace of
Clubs as a sLarLlng polnL - see how [usL
Lhree clrcles and a Lrlangle glves you Lhe
basls for your Lree....
4. Pere, l've Laken away Lhe clrcles Lo leave us
wlLh Lhe ouLllne of a bellevable summer Lree.
?ou can easlly ad[usL Lhe shape Lo make lL Laller,
shorLer, faLLer or Lhlnner. l've added some
slmple '?' shapes Lo represenL Lhe branches
appearlng here and Lhere amongsL Lhe leaves.
6. now you know how easy lL ls Lo skeLch some
slmple Lrees, leL's move on Lo Lhe nexL sLage
and add palnL Lo brlng Lhem Lo llfe!

3. l've puL some red
clrcles and llnes over
Lhls skeLch Lo show
how slmple lL Lo use
Lhem as 'scaffoldlng'
for your Lree. lL's
very easy Lhen Lo
draw a rough ouLllne
Lo geL Lhe shape you
wanL....

?ou need:-
- 8urnL umber
- Lemon ?ellow
- ulLramarlne 8lue
- no.8 8ound 8rush
- 8lgger 8rush
- 8ocklngford 140lb
(300gsm) aper
- urawlng 8oard
- encll & Lraser

Some of Lhe mlxes we'll
use wlLh Lhese colours are
shown here.

2. now draw Lhe
Ace of clubs
agaln, buL alLer
Lhe slze and
shape of each of
Lhe clrcles, as
here. And
lengLhen Lhe
'Lrunk' sllghLly.
See how a Lree
sLarLs Lo form....
S. 1o do Lhe same for a bare wlnLer Lree ls even easler. All
you need ls Lo creaLe Lhe Lrunk and a rough 'canopy'
whlch acLs as a guldellne where Lhe smaller branches and
Lwlgs wlll flnlsh. When you've added palnL Lo elLher of
Lhese Lrees, you can rub ouL Lhe guldellnes lf you wanL.

9. WlLh Lhe llghLesL colour mlx, l'm scraplng Lhe
palnL downwards wlLh Lhe slde of Lhe brush Lo
creaLe a sllghLly ragged effecL. l'll palnL 4 or 3
rough 'banana' shapes Lo represenL Lhe leaf
clusLers.
11. WlLh a sllghLly sLronger mlx, dab ln Lhe darkesL colour, agaln
whlle Lhe prevlous layers are [usL a llLLle damp. 1hls wlll really
enhance Lhe 3u effecL you're Lrylng Lo creaLe. ueclde where Lhe
sun ls comlng from (ln Lhls case, Lop rlghL) and Louch ln Lhe dark
colour on Lhe opposlLe slde of Lhe Lree, underneaLh and ln Lhe
cenLre, whlch would be Lhe darkesL areas....
7. Look agaln aL Lhe colours we're uslng - Lhey work for
boLh Lhe wlnLer and summer Lrees. 1he mlddle row
glves us Lhe Lhree shades of green for Lhe summer Lree
- Lemon ?ellow wlLh flrsL one spoL of 8lue, Lhen Lwo
spoLs and flnally Lwo spoLs of 8lue and one of 8rown.
8elow LhaL on Lhe boLLom llne ls an equal mlx of 8lue
and 8rown for Lhe Lrunk and branches.

8. Make your colours abouL Lhe same sLrengLh as Lhe
cloud shadow mlx ln Lhe sky LuLorlal. MosL of Lhe Lree
wlll be palnLed whlle prevlous layers are sLlll damp, so
make sure you mlx all your colours flrsL - and mlx more
Lhan you Lhlnk you'll need!
10. Whlle Lhe prevlous layer ls sLlll sllghLly
damp, l'm Louchlng ln Lhe medlum green aL
Lhe boLLom of each leaf clusLer Lo glve some
shadow. Make Lhls green sllghLly sLronger
Lhan Lhe prevlous coaL. See how lL glves a
nlce Lhree dlmenslonal effecL. Lven aL Lhls
sLage, you can already vlsuallse Lhe Lree....

12. now leL's move qulckly on Lo
addlng Lhe Lrunk and branches!
Sun

13. use Lhe 8lgger for Lhe branches and
Lwlgs ln Lhe cenLre of Lhe Lree. A sLrong
mlx of 30 8lue and 30 8urnL umber
glves a lovely dark grey/brown whlch wlll
allow us Lo Lake some hlghllghLs ouL laLer.

14. See how slmple lL ls Lo palnL branches
ln Lhe gaps beLween Lhe follage. 1he sLlll-
damp Lree colour allows Lhese branches Lo
blend nlcely lnLo Lhe leaf clusLers.

1S. noLlce ln Lhe close-up below how l'm
leLLlng Lhe rlgger drag over Lhe paper
surface Lo produce a raggedy llne - ldeal
Lo represenL uneven, Lhln branches.
4. now back Lo Lhe no. 8 8rush for Lhe
Lrunk. SLarL from Lhe ground and work
upwards, as lL would grow. lf you palnL
any large branches leavlng Lhe Lrunk [usL
below Lhe boLLom of Lhe leaf masses,
make sure Lhese roughly llne up wlLh Lhe
branches ln amongsL Lhe follage....

Cbserve carefully how wlde Lree Lrunks are
ln relaLlon Lo Lhe Lree slze. lnvarlably Lhey're
Lhlcker Lhan you Lhlnk - remember how
much welghL Lhey've goL Lo supporL....!

....nearly Lhere for Lhe summer Lree.
LeL's go Lo Lhe nexL sLage Lo compleLe lL!

1. Pavlng compleLed Lhe Lrunk, buL whlle
lL's sLlll damp, l've added ln a medlum mlx of
green Lo creaLe Lhe fleld ln whlch Lhe Lree ls
slLLlng. 1hls sLops Lhe Lree looklng llke lL's
floaLlng ln mld-alr.

2. ?ou can see l'm leLLlng Lhe colours blend
LogeLher here. See how Lhls makes Lhe Lree
look llke lL's growlng ouL of Lhe ground
lnsLead of [usL slLLlng on Lhe Lop of lL.

3. Pavlng leL Lhe Lrunk dry, l've sllghLly dampened Lhe rlghL
slde wlLh clean waLer. 1hen l've folded a paper Lowel and
wlLh Lhe edge l've dabbed lL on Lhe damp area. Cr you could
use Lhe chlsel edge of a small, flaL brush

4. 1hls llfLs off some of Lhe palnL, glvlng a genLle hlghllghL as lf
casL by Lhe sun. lf you wanL Lo, genLly blend Lhe llghL and
dark areas wlLh a damp brush for a more genLle LranslLlon.
l've also done Lhe same on one or Lwo of Lhe larger branches.
When addlng ground shadow underneaLh Lrees, make
sure you puL some on Lhe 'sunny' slde LhaL wlll be casL by
Lhe branches and follage on LhaL slde of Lhe Lree, as well
as on Lhe obvlous shadow slde - ln Lhls case, on Lhe lefL....
Sun
CasL
Shadows
S. As a flnal Louch, l've added some of Lhe dark follage
mlx, weL-ln-weL, Lo Lhe ground underneaLh Lhe Lree Lo
creaLe sLrong shadows. lncldenLally, whaL looks llke pale
blue ls acLually Lhe weL palnL reflecLlng Lhe camera flash.

6. As mosL of Lhls exerclse has been done whlle prevlous
layers were sLlll damp, you can see Lhe lmporLance of
mlxlng plenLy of colour before you sLarL Lo palnL....
now leL's move on Lo do Lhe same
Lree buL Lhls Llme, ln wlnLer....

lL's always easler Lo palnL Lhe branches on Lhe same slde of Lhe Lree as Lhe hand you use Lo
palnL. l'm lefL-handed so branches on Lhe lefL slde of Lrees are easler for me. lf you're rlghL-
handed Lhe opposlLe applles. 1he answer ls slmple. 1urn your plcLure upslde down when
you palnL Lhe branches on your 'wrong 'slde and [usL palnL ln your naLural dlrecLlon.

1. 1he wlnLer Lree Lrunk and Lhlcker, lower llmbs are
palnLed ln Lhe same colours and ln Lhe same way as
Lhe summer verslon, uslng Lhe no.8 8ound 8rush.
keep uslng Lhe no. 8 brush for as long as you can.
Move onLo Lhe rlgger only when you're palnLlng Lhe
Lhlnner branches and Lwlgs.

3. Always sLarL by palnLlng Lrees from Lhe ground up -
Lhe same way Lhey grow. 1hls wlll ensure LhaL
branches naLurally become Lhlnner as Lhe brush Lravels
upwards and sLarLs Lo llfL off Lhe paper sllghLly.

4. ?ou'll also flnd LhaL as Lhe palnL sLarLs Lo run ouL,
Lhe upper branches wlll llghLen. 1hen, when you
recharge your brush wlLh palnL, you'll geL a nlce mlx of
llghL and dark branches ln your Lree, addlng greaLer
lnLeresL....

2. uon'L forgeL Lo palnL one or Lwo large rooLs aL
Lhe base. 1hese wlll be blended lnLo Lhe ground
colour laLer, so Lhe Lree looks llke lL's growlng ouL
of Lhe ground and noL [usL slLLlng on Lop of lL.


4. ln Lhe nexL plcLure (below) l've added some of
Lhe mld-green from Lhe summer Lree for Lhe
ground colour, leLLlng Lhe Lrunk blend lnLo lL. l've
also puL a sLreak of Lhe same colour on Lhe Lrunk
Lo creaLe a Louch of moss on Lhe bark.

1. As wlLh Lhe summer Lree, you can now Lake ouL
some hlghllghLs from Lhe Lrunk and maln branches. ln
facL Lhls ls probably more lmporLanL on Lhe wlnLer
Lree as Lhese wlll be more vlslble.

2. 1o creaLe a less deflned hlghllghL from a wlnLry sun
scrub Lhe no.8 brush genLly Lo llfL ouL colour from
Lrunk once lL's dry. uon'L worry of you overdo lL, [usL
add some darker palnL on Lhe shadow slde and lL wlll
blend back nlcely Lo glve a subLle llghL and shade.

3. AlLhough lL looks llke l've added pale blue Lo Lhe
Lrunk lL's acLually Lhe reflecLlon of Lhe weL palnL.
Powever, you can see how effecLlve a Louch of blue
can look lf you dld declde Lo add lL....!

S. ?ou can sLop aL Lhls sLage lf you
wanL. lf you prefer Lo add an
lmpresslon of 'feaLhery' Lwlgs, use
a paler verslon of Lhe Lrunk
colour, havlng flrsL parLlally drled
off your brush on some klLchen
Lowel.

6. Slmply 'scrape' colour over Lhe
Lree, uslng Lhe paper surface Lo
creaLe hlL and mlss effecLs.

7. urag Lhe slde of Lhe brush
lnwards from Lhe edge of Lhe
canopy Lowards Lhe cenLre of Lhe
Lree or downwards on a lower
proLrudlng branch - and don'L
forgeL Lo add colour ln Lhe cenLre
of Lhe Lree as well. 8emember, lL's
a Lhree-dlmenslonal ob[ecL and
you would have branches comlng
Lowards you.


So Lhere we are - Lhree for Lhe prlce of one agaln! llrsL, we have a bare, wlnLer Lree. 1hen, on
Lhe rlghL we have Lhe same Lree wlLh a canopy of dead leaves. llnally, below, we see one ln all
lLs summer glory. Slmple Lo produce, Lhey glve lmmense saLlsfacLlon ln creaLlng a bellevable
Lree, wheLher lL's on lLs own llke Lhese, or parL of a full-blown landscape. Co on - glve lL a go!


Watercolour Secrets
SECTION 7

BASIC
REFLECTIONS


A 8 C u L l C P
1. uLLlng reflecLlons ln waLer ls really easy once you undersLand a few general prlnclples. 1hese aren'L 'arLy'
rules llke good composlLlon or chooslng a focal polnL, whlch are ofLen based on oplnlon, buL slmple laws of
naLure abouL where reflecLlons do - and don'L -occur. Look aL Lhe llLLle scene below. lL's a sLlll from Lhe
"#$%&'()(*& +%'&%$, -.- /(*&,%
0
showlng 8 of Lhe mosL common reflecLlons you'll need Lo deal wlLh ln
your landscape palnLlng. lmaglne you're slLLlng ln a rowlng boaL on a lake or very sLlll rlver so your eye- level
ls only abouL Lhe helghL of Lhe bank. ?ou'll noLe LhaL l've added Lhe reflecLlon of Lhe rlver bank Lo sLarL wlLh.
now leL's look aL each one ln Lurn.
2. ln A and 8 we have Lhe slmplesL
slLuaLlon of a posL ln sLlll waLer and
Lhen ln sllghLly rlppled waLer. noLlce
Lwo Lhlngs. 1he reflecLlons are #)9#3,
verLlcally below Lhe ob[ecL reflecLed
and Lhe reflecLlon ls #)9#3, )541$%&
95$1 # 6#&A (>C%'$ #26 6#&A%& $1#2 #
)541$ (>C%'$ belng reflecLed. ln oLher
words, Lhe Lonal conLrasL (llghL Lo dark)
of a reflecLlon ls always sllghLly duller
Lhan Lhe lLem lL's reflecLlng.

3. l've represenLed Lhls lesser Lonal conLrasL by maklng Lhe
reflecLlons grey raLher Lhan Lhe llghL brown of Lhe posLs Lhemselves.

4. ln C (above rlghL) we have Lhe reflecLlon LhaL caLches ouL so
many people. Pave a look aL Lhe skeLches lower rlghL Lo see Lhe
placlng of Lwo Lyplcally lncorrecL reflecLlons.

D8 ln skeLch C, Lhe reflecLlon ls conformlng Lo Lhe 'verLlcally
below' rule. Look aL Lhe doLLed llnes l've added from Lhose Lhree
marks on Lhe posL. Lach one drops verLlcally Lo place LhaL parL of
Lhe reflecLlon ln Lhe approprlaLe poslLlon.

A 8
C

8. llnally, when you puL ln a reflecLlon of
an ob[ecL (ln Lhls case a church) whlch ls
some dlsLance from Lhe waLer, how much
reflecLlon should show? lL's qulLe slmple.
?ou should lmaglne Lhe reflecLlon sLarLlng
from Lhe base of Lhe church where lL slLs
on Lhe ground. ln Lhls example, lL's beyond
a rlse ln Lhe ground perhaps a few hundred
yards from Lhe waLer.

7. So lf you have, as ln Lhls case, a posL
near Lo Lhe waLer's edge, deal wlLh Lhe
shadow ln Lhe normal way. ?ou can also
have a hlnL of Lhe shadow falllng on Lhe
waLer as well lf Lhe shadow ls long enough.
1hen puL ln your reflecLlon - verLlcally - as
l've already descrlbed ln Lhe oLher
examples.
3. ln Lhe Lwo examples below, we have posLs ln whlch L
leans Lowards you and l leans away from you. 8emember,
your vlew of all Lhese reflecLlons ls from LhaL rowlng boaL
slLLlng ln Lhe waLer. So whaL you have now are reflecLlons
LhaL are dlfferenL ln lengLh from whaL you can see of Lhe
posLs.

4. So wlLh Lhe posL LhaL leans Lowards you over Lhe waLer
(L) you only see a foreshorLened vlew of lL, buL Lhe 91()%
)%24$1 of lLs reflecLlon. 1hls happens because from your
vlewpolnL, you see Lhe reflecLlons aL a dlfferenL angle Lo
Lhe acLual posLs. ?ou are looklng sllghLly upwards aL Lhe
posLs, buL sllghLly downwards aL Lhe reflecLlons.

S. WlLh posL l, Lhe opposlLe happens. ?ou can see a falr
amounL of Lhe posL, buL because lL leans back away from
Lhe bank, Lhls Llme Lhe reflecLlon ls much reduced ln lengLh.

u

9. l've puL a red doLLed llne from where
Lhe church's reflecLlon LheoreLlcally sLarLs
buL of course, from your vlew-polnL ln
your 'rowlng boaL', noL much more Lhan
Lhe sLeeple wlll show up ln Lhe waLer.

10. llnally, have you noLlced LhaL 9%B=%
%;;%'$5=%)3 '&%#$%6 $1% 5))*,5(2 (; 9#$%&
merely by addlng reflecLlons? AL no Llme
have we needed Lo acLually palnL Lhe
waLer lLself....

6. Pere's anoLher area whlch confuses many sLudenLs. 8emember, reflecLlons are
always seen verLlcally below Lhe ob[ecL belng reflecLed. 1hls never changes. Powever,
a shadow does. lL moves and lengLhens dependlng on Lhe poslLlon of Lhe sun.

L l
C
P
1. 1hls ls a slmple and effecLlve
Lechnlque ln u Lo represenL
waLer LhaL's a blL more ruffled
and wlndblown. lL works
parLlcularly well uslng a 8lgger
brush Lo creaLe reflecLlons of
long, Lhln sLalks and reeds.

2. All LhaL ls necessary ls Lo
E*5'A)3 #26 )541$)3 palnL Lwo
overlapplng wavy llnes LhaL
3*$# *$ ,#)) maLch. 8uL don'L
Lry Lo geL Lhem Lo maLch exacLly
or Lhe effecL wlll look conLrlved.

Watercolour Secrets
SECTION 8

ENHANCE YOUR
LANDSCAPES WITH
SIMPLE FIGURES


3. now draw Lwo of exacLly Lhe same
flgures, one sllghLly smaller, buL
angled Lowards each oLher. We've now
goL a couple engrossed ln conversaLlon.

7. Pere, we've produced a seaLed flgure wlLh no more efforL Lhan
addlng Lwo scalene Lrlangles for Lhe upper and lower parLs of Lhe legs.
(A scalene Lrlangle ls one LhaL has no equal sldes or angles. See, you geL
loLs more Lhan [usL free palnLlng lessons here...!)

8. noLe how Lhe head ls drawn a llLLle above Lhe body Lo represenL Lhe
neck and Lhe elbows almosL reach down Lo Lhe walsL when a flgure ls
seaLed. ln general, a good gulde Lo drawlng adulL flgures ls Lo make
Lhem abouL 7 - 8 heads Lall. Small chlldren are abouL 4 - 3 heads Lall,
whlle a baby's head ls abouL a quarLer of lLs LoLal slze.

9. 8y Lhe way, lf you look closely aL Lhls flgure, you'll see some ghosLed
lmages where l've rubbed ouL llnes drawn ln Lhe wrong place. 1hls
lllusLraLes perfecLly why you're beLLer off drawlng Lhls sorL of flgure on
rough paper before Lransferrlng lL Lo your waLercolour paper....
4. 1aklng Lhls a sLage furLher, l've benL Lhe Lrlangles LogeLher so Lhe
couple are arm ln arm. See Lhe degree of lnLlmacy Lhls achleves wlLh
such a slmple ad[usLmenL of Lhe llnes.

S. l've also added an lmpresslon of a llLLle dog wlLh a couple of
overlapplng ovals, a Lrlangle and some llnes for Lhe legs and Lall.

6. See how Lhe genLly curved lead Lells you LhaL Lhe dog lsn'L Lugglng aL
lL, addlng Lo Lhe relaxed, lelsurely aLmosphere we've creaLed....
1. LeL's have a look now aL some
baslc flgures, whlch you'll ofLen
need Lo elLher 'humanlse' or add
scale Lo an oLherwlse empLy
landscape.

2. now Lhen, how dlfflculL ls lL Lo
draw Lhls Lrlangle and an oval for
Lhe body and a head - and Lhen a
couple of llnes for Lhe arms?
lmmedlaLely, you have Lhe
auLhenLlc ouLllne of a flgure
walklng elLher Lowards you or
away from you. We'll see how
easy lL ls Lo choose Lhe dlrecLlon
on Lhe nexL page.


1. 1he more 'acLlon' you creaLe ln a flgure - a man runnlng
as ln Lhls phoLo for example - Lhe more llkely lL ls Lo draw
aLLenLlon Lo lLself ln your plcLure. ln LhaL case, lL almosL
cerLalnly needs Lo be Lhe focal polnL (or parL of lL) or lL wlll
sLarL Lo compeLe for aLLenLlon wlLh whaL !1%+!,,0 4) your
chosen focal polnL.

When you palnL flgures ln a landscape don'L puL ln any faclal
deLalls, aparL from Lhe halr. 1hey're noL needed and wlll make Lhe
flgure appear Loo fussy and compllcaLed.

Also, leave ouL feeL wherever posslble. lncludlng Lhem always
makes Lhem look clumsy and overslzed. lnsLead, leL Lhe boLLom of
Lhe legs melL lnLo Lhe shadow colour. Look aL Lhe flgures on Lhls
page Lo see whaL l mean....

8ob uavles & alnLbox
2. A more passlve pose such as a couple sLrolllng down a counLry
lane may be a beLLer opLlon lf you [usL wanL Lo focus on Lhe
landscape scene, where Lhelr presence complemenLs, raLher
Lhan domlnaLes lL.

3. ?ou can of course sLlll use Lhem as Lhe focal polnL by palnLlng
Lhem ln sLrong, brlghL colours. All Lhe palnLed flgures on Lhls
page were creaLed ln varlous lessons ln Lhe "#$%&'()(*& +%'&%$,
-.- /(*&,%
0
and are ldeal for Lhls sorL of slLuaLlon.

4. ?ou can see ln Lhese palnLed
flgures LhaL l've Lldled up Lhe
baslc shapes and drawn more
reallsLlc ouLllnes - very slmple and
exacLly Lhe same prlnclples as ln
Lhe kangaroo skeLches on an
earller page.

S. 1he dlrecLlon people are faclng
ls deLermlned slmply by a splash
of colour for Lhe halr whlch polnLs
Lhe head ln Lhe requlred dlrecLlon.
1o relnforce Lhls lL's an easy
maLLer Lo puL Lhelr cloLhes on 'Lhe
rlghL way round'. 1he man ln Lhe
grey sulL and Lhe woman ln Lhe
yellow lllusLraLe Lhls perfecLly.

6. noLlce also how l've leL Lhe
woman's Lop, sklrL and legs blend
LogeLher sllghLly Lo creaLe a unlLy
ln Lhe flgure....

Watercolour Secrets
SECTION 9

BRINGING IT ALL
TOGETHER


1. ?es, Lhls ls whaL we - 3(* - wlll be
palnLlng. lf lL looks a blL daunLlng don'L
worry. lL's only composed of Lhe elemenLs
LhaL we've covered LhroughouL Lhls shorL
course. l've palnLed lL wlLh [usL Lhe no.10
8ound brush whlch was a blL of a challenge
wlLh some of Lhe smaller deLalls buL you'll
see from Lhe phoLos laLer on LhaL lL ls
posslble wlLh a llLLle pracLlce. l've also only
used 4 colours Lo keep Lhlngs nlce and
slmple!

2. Pere's whaL l used:-

140lb 8ocklngford WaLercolour aper
no. 10 8ound 8rush (?ou could use, say, a
no.4 or a no.6 lf Lhls makes you feel more
comforLable wlLh Lhe smaller deLalls).
ulLramarlne 8lue
ermanenL 8ose
?ellow Cchre
LlghL 8ed
P8 encll and a uLLy Lraser
urawlng 8oard
3. 1he flrsL Lhlng l dld was a 'Lonal skeLch' (below rlghL).
1hls ls only abouL 3" x 4" and ls [usL a qulck, rough
skeLch of Lhe scene l had ln mlnd. lL's so helpful Lo do
Lhls sorL of skeLch beforehand as lL helps you vlsuallse
whaL you wanL Lo palnL and also lf Lhe composlLlon ls
acLually golng Lo look rlghL. uon'L worry abouL deLall or
quallLy wlLh Lhls - lL's no more Lhan a memory ald Lo
remlnd you whaL Lhlngs should look llke ln Lhe palnLlng.

4. Powever, Lhe maln beneflL ls Lo work ouL where Lhe
llghLesL llghLs, darkesL darks and Lhe mld-Lones wlll
need Lo go, lrrespecLlve of Lhe colours you use. ln Lhls
case, you can see LhaL underneaLh Lhe large Lree wlll be
qulLe dark as wlll Lhe doorway ln Lhe house, whlch
forms a naLural focal polnL wlLh Lhe couple walklng
Lowards lL. See also how Lhe dark Lrees behlnd Lhe
house help Lo make lL sLand ouL. l've drawn Lhe
foreground fence a blL Loo dark and domlnanL so l need
Lo remember Lo Lone down lLs colour ln Lhe palnLlng.
S. l'm golng Lo draw dlrecLly onLo my waLercolour
paper, buL lf you prefer, draw lL flrsL on, say, cheap
prlnLer paper and Lhen Lrace lL onLo Lhe waLercolour
paper as explalned ln SecLlon 1. 1he flrsL Lhlng l've
done ls Lo draw a horlzon llne (eye llne) abouL a
quarLer of Lhe way up Lhe paper from Lhe base. ?ou'll
be rubblng some of Lhls ouL laLer so only draw lL
heavy enough Lo see lL. l've made my drawlng
heavler Lhan normal so lL shows up ln Lhe phoLos.

v
6. l've drawn Lwo very slmple background hllls
and l've also added Lhe maln feaLures lncludlng
Lhe road, Lhe house and Lhe large Lree. 1he
Lree ls leanlng lnwards Lo add lnLeresL and help
frame Lhe scene on LhaL slde.

7. 1he house ls slLLlng on Lhe horlzon llne and
Lhe road ls compressed Lo emphaslse LhaL low
vlewpolnL. noLe from Lhe doLLed perspecLlve
llnes l've overlald on Lhe house LhaL Lhe
vanlshlng olnL where Lhey all LheoreLlcally
meeL can qulLe easlly be off Lhe paper.
8. 1he resL of Lhe deLalls have been added and any
unwanLed parLs of Lhe horlzon have been rubbed
ouL. 1hen l've brushed a layer of clean waLer over
Lhe whole plcLure and leL lL soak ln Lo a damp sLage.
?ou can see Lhe sllghL hlghllghLed sheen whlch Lells
me lL's ready for Lhe nexL sLage - Lo add Lhe palnL!
9. 1o geL warmLh and llghL [usL above Lhe hllls and ln
Lhe foreground l've sLreaked across some ?ellow Cchre
(lefL), leLLlng Lhe waLer ln Lhe paper dlluLe lL as lL goes
furLher up Lhe paper.

10. 8elow lefL, l've sLarLed on Lhe sky wlLh ulLramarlne.
l haven'L Loo much sky Lo play wlLh before l reach Lhe
hllls, so you can see ln Lhe rlghL hand plcLure LhaL l've
llghLened lL off qulLe qulckly as l go down Lhe paper.

11. now l'm rolllng Lhe seml-dry palnLbrush,
dampened wlLh clean waLer and plcklng up some
of Lhe blue plgmenL as l go along. 8emember Lo
wash Lhe brush ouL frequenLly as you do Lhls or
you'll slmply puL Lhe blue palnL you've plcked up
back on Lhe paper where lL's noL wanLed.
12. ln Lhls shoL on Lhe rlghL l've Laken a blL more palnL ouL
by uslng a dampened paper Lowel -acLually lL was a plece
of LolleL Llssue (clean!) LhaL works [usL as well as klLchen
roll. ?ou can see Lhls glves a nlce wlspy effecL wlLh Lhe
varlaLlon evldenL beLween uslng Lhe brush and Lhe Llssue.
13. l'm Louchlng ln (above) some cloud shadows wlLh a medlum sLrengLh
mlx of ulLramarlne 8lue, ermanenL 8ose and [usL a hlnL of LlghL 8ed Lo
grey lL down sllghLly. When Lhe whlLe clouds were llfLed ouL wlLh Lhe brush
and Lhe Llssue, Lhey lefL a nlce varleLy of damp, dry and seml-dry areas.
When Lhe cloud shadow ls dabbed ln, lL forms some nlce sofL and hard
edges - also known as 'losL' and 'found' edges.

14. Above rlghL, l've Louched ln here and Lhere a sllghLly sLronger mlx of
ulLramarlne. 1hls blends nlcely wlLh Lhe prevlous shadow colour Lo glve a
furLher subLle varlaLlon ln Lhe clouds. neverLheless, l've kepL Lhe cloud
shadow reasonably muLed as Lhere's qulLe a loL of feaLures ln Lhe resL of
Lhe plcLure, so l don'L wanL a very busy sky LhaL would compeLe wlLh Lhem.

1S. now, whlle Lhe cloud shadow ls sLlll sllghLly molsL, wlLh a clean, damp brush (above), l'm blendlng ouL some
of Lhe unwanLed harder edges by very genLly scraplng Lhe slde of Lhe brush upwards. ?ou don'L wanL anyLhlng
oLher Lhan a damp brush Lo do Lhls! uon'L overdo Lhls elLher. Some hard edges are deslrable for exLra lnLeresL.

16. WlLh a llghL mlx of ulLramarlne, ermanenL
8ose and a Louch of ?ellow Cchre, l've palnLed ln
Lhe lefL hand hlll. ?ou can see l'm noL worrled
abouL golng over parLs of Lhe Lree sllghLly as Lhls
wlll be hldden when we puL on Lhe follage.
17. WlLh a sLronger mlx of ?ellow Cchre and a
Louch of ulLramarlne (you don'L need much or
lL'll make lL Loo dark) l'm now sLreaklng ln Lhe
nearer hlll. noLlce how my brush-sLrokes are
followlng Lhe llne of Lhe hlll from Lop rlghL Lo
boLLom lefL Lo asslsL ln deflnlng Lhe conLours.
18. Whlle Lhls ls sLlll damp l've added some
sLreaks of much sLronger ?ellow Cchre. 1hls may
look Loo brlghL aL Lhe ouLseL buL wlll soon dry
back Lo a more subLle shade. 8emember, LhaL
Lhe sun ls shlnlng on Lhls slde of Lhe hlll, so Lhls
helps Lo add LhaL sunllL effecL. A couple of
sLreaks are flne - don'L overdo lL!

19. nexL, lefL, l've added more sLreaks, Lhls
Llme wlLh a sLrong mlx of ulLramarlne and
LlghL 8ed. 1hls glves a lovely purple-grey,
whlch as you can see, qulckly blends lnLo
Lhe orlglnal wash Lo help creaLe llghL and
dark conLours, especlally on Lhe Lop rlghL
of Lhe hlll, whlch would be ln shadow.
Agaln see how l've followed Lhe llne of Lhe
hlll wlLh Lhe brushsLrokes. 1he hardesL parL
here ls Lo [usL puL ln Lhe sLreaks, Lhen leave
Lhlngs alone and noL flddle!

20. nexL, lefL, we have a very sLrong mlx of ulLramarlne
and a llLLle ?ellow Cchre for Lhe dark Lrees behlnd Lhe
house. l flnd lL easlesL Lo palnL carefully around Lhe ouLllne
of Lhe house and Lhe roof and Lhen work away from Lhls Lo
flnlsh wlLh ragged edges aL Lhe Lop of Lhe Lrees. ln Lhe
close-up below, l've added anoLher sLrong mlx of neaL
?ellow Cchre whlle Lhe Lree colour ls weL. 1hls glves a blL
of varleLy ln Lhe colourlng, buL don'L add Loo much as we
need Lo reLaln Lhe dark colour Lo frame Lhe house.
21. 8elow, l've added Lhe llne of Lrees Lo Lhe lefL of Lhe coLLage
wlLh Lhe same colours buL wlLh more yellow and noL qulLe as
sLrong. l've also puL a medlum sLrengLh mlx of ?ellow Cchre over
Lhe foreground and mlddle dlsLance flelds, once agaln, dragglng
Lhe brushsLrokes sldeways Lo creaLe a 'flaL' effecL. nexL, a llghL
mlx of ulLramarlne and LlghL 8ed creaLes Lhe road, avoldlng
palnLlng Lhe puddle area below Lhe fence.

22. ln Lhe plcLure below rlghL, l've puL some darker green (a
Louch of ulLramarlne added) ln Lhe lefL foreground of Lhe
plcLure, uslng Lhe same Lechnlques as l used on Lhe hlll. 1he
same colour has been Louched ln Lo deflne Lhe edge of Lhe road.
23. l've also added a sLronger mlxLure of Lhe road
colour ln Lhe boLLom rlghL hand corner whlle
everyLhlng was sLlll damp. 1hls ls a very useful
Lechnlque wlLh landscapes. 8y darkenlng Lhe corners
sllghLly, lL forces Lhe eye of Lhe vlewer lnLo Lhe
cenLre of your plcLure and Lhe maln areas of lnLeresL.
1hls general vlew of Lhe plcLure lllusLraLes very well
how Lhe dark background Lrees help Lhe focal polnL
of Lhe plcLure - Lhe house - Lo really sLand ouL.

24. 1he foreground bush
ls LreaLed ln exacLly Lhe
same way as Lhe oLher
Lrees and bushes, excepL
LhaL l've used a sLrong
mlx of ?ellow Cchre as
Lhe base colour. See how
Lhls conLrasLs nlcely
where lL meeLs Lhe
background Lrees. 1hen
whlle lL's sLlll damp, l've
added sLrong Louches of
neaL ulLramarlne (lefL)
and mlxes of ulLramarlne
and LlghL 8ed (rlghL),
sLreaked here and Lhere
Lo slmulaLe branches and
Lwlgs. ?ou don'L wanL
anyLhlng Loo deLalled
here or lL wlll compeLe
for aLLenLlon wlLh Lhe resL
of Lhe plcLure.
2S. 1he Lhree phoLos below demonsLraLe how easy lL ls Lo remove small areas of unwanLed palnL ln a plcLure. ln
Lhe phoLo on Lhe lefL, l've been qulLe cavaller wlLh Lhe way l've puL palnL over Lhe Lrunk as l've been addlng Lhe
flelds and bushes. Powever, l've used a small, flaL brush wlLh clean waLer (cenLre) Lo genLly scrub away Lhe
offendlng palnL. WlLh a clean Llssue, l can now dab ouL Lhe area (rlghL) so lL's almosL prlsLlne and l'll leL Lhls area dry
before l palnL Lhe Lrunk. lf l'd accldenLally dampened Lhe paper [usL ouLslde Lhe llne of Lhe Lrunk and Lhen palnLed
lL rlghL away Lhe new palnL would have bled where l dldn'L wanL and l'd have had Lo do anoLher repalr [ob
alongslde Lhe Lree....

27. ln Lhe phoLo below, Lhe fence has
been palnLed wlLh a pale grey creaLed
wlLh ulLramarlne and LlghL 8ed. 8y
palnLlng separaLe llnes for Lhe Lwo
vlslble faces of Lhe fence posLs, see how
Lhe Lhln whlLe llne lefL ln beLween
creaLes a naLural hlghllghL. ln Lhe lower
rlghL close-up, l've walLed Llll Lhe fence
colour drles Lhen added Lhe same mlx
on Lhe shadow sldes. 1he posLs have
been dellberaLely placed aL random
dlsLances and angles Lo creaLe more
lnLeresL Lhan a llne of 'soldlers'. 1he
broken cross plece lmmedlaLely below
Lhe couple has been lnLenLlonally
lncluded as Lhls creaLes a 'way ln' for
Lhe eye Lo move across Lo Lhe flgures.
26. A llghL wash of ulLramarlne
and ermanenL 8ose and [usL a
dab of LlghL 8ed produce a lovely
'sunny' shadow colour. Pere, lL's
been added Lo Lhe fronL of Lhe
house. ln Lhe plcLure, below, afLer
lL has drled, l've added a llne Lo
represenL Lhe really dark shadow
under Lhe eaves. l'll also puL ln
Lhls colour for Lhe wlndows and
door. noLlce how a slmple leLLer
'L' on Lhe slde wall of Lhe house
glves us Lhe requlred shadows for
LhaL wlndow and wlndow-slll.

28. We now come on Lo Lhe large Lree where a base coaL of
?ellow Cchre ls scraped on sldeways wlLh Lhe brush creaLlng
several overlapplng banana shapes. ?ou can see l'm only uslng
Lhe pencll ouLllne of Lhe Lree follage as a guldellne. l'm noL
worrled abouL golng over lL here and Lhere, oLherwlse l'd geL
Loo dellberaLe and LlghL ln applylng Lhe palnL.

29. 8elow lefL and whlle Lhe base coaL ls sLlll damp, l've sLarLed
Lo add Lhe mld-Lone colour, whlch ls more ?ellow Cchre wlLh
[usL a Louch of ulLramarlne. l'm puLLlng Louches of Lhls colour
over Lhe Lop of Lhe unpalnLed areas l've lefL ln Lhe Lree as Lhls
would be where Lhe shadows would appear. 8elow rlghL, Lhls
ls whaL Lhe Lree looks llke afLer Lhls second coaL. 1here's less
of lL on Lhe lefL hand slde as Lhls wlll be caLchlng Lhe sun.
30. 1he darkesL coaL ls now added ln Lhe same way as Lhe second, weL-ln-weL. 1he darkesL areas of Lrees Lend Lo
be ln Lhe cenLre and underneaLh where Lhe Lrunk dlsappears lnLo Lhe leaves. 1hls mlx ls ulLramarlne and LlghL
8ed wlLh [usL a Louch of ?ellow Cchre Lo brlng ouL some green. ln Lhe close up below rlghL see how, by addlng a
few dark leaves across Lhe background flelds and Lrees, lL pushes Lhem back lnLo Lhelr proper place ln Lhe plcLure.


31. Cn Lhe lefL, l've added a pale mlx of ulLramarlne
and LlghL 8ed for Lhe grey of Lhe Lrunk and vlslble
branches, blendlng lL lnLo Lhe sLlll-damp leaves. l've
also run ln some branches wlLhln Lhe leaf clusLers as
Lhey appear and dlsappear ln Lhe mlddle of Lhe Lree.

32. When Lhe Lrunk has drled, l've palnLed a
sLronger mlx of Lhe same colours on Lhe rlghL hand
slde Lo represenL Lhe shadow. noLe LhaL l've also
Laken Lhls up and underneaLh Lhe leaves as Lhls area
would noL caLch Lhe sun elLher.

33. 8efore Lhls shadow sLrlp drles l've run a brush wlLh a
llLLle clean waLer down Lhe edge Lo blend lL and creaLe Lhe
Lhree-dlmenslonal roundness of Lhe Lrunk.

34. lf you wanL Lo, you could also llghLly scrub ouL a llghLer
sLrlp down Lhe lefL slde of Lhe Lrunk Lo furLher emphaslse
Lhe sunllghL playlng on lL. 1hls ls exacLly Lhe same
Lechnlque as l used Lo remove unwanLed palnL ln SLep 23.

3S. l've now added Lhe Lree shadow
across Lhe road. lL's lmporLanL, once
agaln, Lo keep Lhe brushsLrokes
horlzonLal so Lhe shadow slLs flaL on
Lhe ground. uon'L worry abouL Laklng
lL across Lhe fence as Lhls would be
parLlally shaded by Lhe Lrees and
Lherefore have a dappled effecL.


36. 1he coLLage roof has been sLreaked
downwards wlLh a medlum sLrengLh LlghL 8ed,
uslng a brush drled off sllghLly on Lhe paper Llssue
Lo Lake ouL excess palnL. 1hls allows me Lo
dellberaLely creaLe plenLy of unpalnLed sLreaks Lo
emphaslse Lhe sunny day. lollowlng Lhls, ln Lhe
lower phoLo, l've done Lhe same wlLh [usL a Llny
sLreak or Lwo of ulLramarlne and leL lL all blend.

37. 1he bushes Lo Lhe lefL of Lhe coLLage have been
darkened wlLh ulLramarlne and ?ellow Cchre and
sllghLly ralsed. 1hls allows me Lo puL a medlum
sLrengLh mlx of Lhe shadow colour on Lhe slde wall,
emphaslslng Lhe sunllghL on Lhese Lrees.

38. noL far from Lhe flnlshlng llne now. 1he
flgures have been palnLed very slmply wlLh
Louches of LlghL 8ed and ulLramarlne Lo creaLe
lmpacL as Lhey are lead Lhe eye Lo Lhe focal polnL.
1he dark grey Lrousers on boLh have been palnLed
wlLh a mlx of 8lue, ?ellow and 8ed. l was golng Lo
palnL Lhe lady on Lhe lefL ln a sklrL, buL Lhe pale
colour of her legs wouldn'L have shown up agalnsL
Lhe llghL grass. 1he dog was creaLed uslng Lhe
same colours as for Lhe flgure's Lrousers wlLh a
llghLer area on lLs lefL slde ln Lhe sunllghL.

39. When lncludlng anlmals and flgures ln Lhe mlddle
dlsLance llke Lhls, even ln a large plcLure, Lhey're only
golng Lo be abouL 1" Lall - probably 1x" maxlmum, so
Lhere's absoluLely no need (or room) for deLall. 1hls
plcLure we're dolng ls approxlmaLely 14" x 10" and
Lhe flgures are only abouL " (18mm) Lall. Lven ln
Lhls cruel close-up Lhey look perfecLly Ck ln Lhe
conLexL of Lhe plcLure. 8emember whaL l sald abouL
noL palnLlng shoes and blendlng Lhe shadows lnLo
Lhe boLLom of Lhe legs, as we've done here....


40. WlLh a very pale wash of
ulLramarlne, l'm puLLlng ln Lhe
puddle. lL's parLlcularly
lmporLanL LhaL Lhe brush sLrokes
are horlzonLal when you palnL
waLer, oLherwlse lL wlll look as lf
Lhe waLer ls runnlng downhlll.

41. Cnce Lhls ls dry, l've added
Lhe reflecLlons. 1wo Lhlngs l hope
you remember from Lhe LuLorlal
ln SecLlon 7. llrsL, noLe Lhe
dlrecLlon of Lhe reflecLlons,
especlally where Lhe posLs are
angled. Second, Lhe dark areas
reflecL llghLer and Lhe llghL areas
reflecL darker - or puL anoLher
way, Lhe Lonal conLrasL ls less.

42. l've dabbed ln some dark
green colour Lo deflne where Lhe
edge of Lhe road ls beyond Lhe
puddle, as well as grass LhaL
grows around Lhe base of Lhe
fence posLs. noLlce how l've lefL
lL as a hlL and mlss effecL. ?ou
wanL Lhls sorL of deLall Lo appear
random and unconLrlved.

43. Whlle lL's sLlll weL, l've spread ouL
Lhe halrs on Lhe brush as you can see ln
Lhe close-up and llghLly dragged Lhe
green palnL upwards Lo slmulaLe grass.
uon'L forgeL Lo drag Lhe palnL
downwards as well Lo creaLe Lhe
reflecLlons. ln facL, lf you have a puddle
and can'L 'englneer' an lLem above lL Lo
be reflecLed, uslng shorL, grassy LufLs llke
Lhese ls an excellenL way Lo conflrm LhaL
Lhe vlewer ls looklng aL waLer. noLe also
from Lhe phoLo above LhaL Lhe flgures
and dog don'L have a reflecLlon as
Lhey're Loo far beyond Lhe puddle.

Well Lhere we are - Lhe flnlshed plcLure. AlLhough lL's Laken 44 sLeps, Lhey've all been falrly small and genLle ones Lo
navlgaLe. LveryLhlng has been based on whaL we've looked aL ln Lhe prevlous 8 SecLlons and lL [usL shows how
perfecLly posslble lL ls Lo creaLe your own mlnor masLerplece. 1he way ahead now ls clear. More pracLlce and
enLhuslasm = more success, whlch = Lhe deslre Lo keep aL lL. All Lhe Llme you wlll be lmprovlng wlLhouL reallslng lL, so
my flnal plece of advlce ln Lhls shorL course ls noL Lo Lhrow away any of your early works or percelved dlsasLers. Look
aL Lhem ln a few weeks or a few monLhs and you'll be hearLened by Lhe progress you've made.

l hope Lhls shorL course wlll help you develop your waLercolour landscapes and you flnd lL as en[oyable Lo follow as lL
has been Lo produce. 8emember pracLlce as ofLen as you can and you 95)) make progress. Pappy palnLlng!
44. 8lghL, we're done - excepL for one more Lhlng.... Walk away from Lhe plcLure and leave lL for an hour or Lwo.
When you reLurn you wlll lnvarlably see llLLle deLalls you've mlssed or feel need ad[usLmenL. l noLlced a couple of Lhe
shadows needed sLrengLhenlng very sllghLly as dld one or Lwo branches ln Lhe blg Lree. Powever, Lhls ls a danger
perlod as you can, Lhrough over-enLhuslasm, sLarL flddllng and spoll Lhe flnal palnLlng. Cnce you sLarL )((A524 for
Lhlngs Lo change, lnsLead of Lhem [umplng ouL aL you, Lhen LhaL's Lhe Llme Lo really sLop and slgn lL. l always feel LhaL
slgnlng a palnLlng ls a way of Lelllng me LhaL lL's flnlshed and l'm noL allowed Lo add any more. lncldenLally, don'L
overlook Lhe slgnaLure ln your composlLlon. ?our slgnaLure ln Lhe boLLom rlghL or lefL corner may well help Lo add
balance Lo a plcLure LhaL lacks some sorL of deLall ln Lhls area.


WHAT IS WATERCOLOUR
SECRETS?

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