5 Steps to

Plan a Successful
Watercolor Painting
PRE-PAINTING CHECKLIST

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 1. PICK THE
RIGHT
SUBJECT

Select the right subject for watercolor.

This means picking something that you are
interested in that is also paintable.

Avoid subjects with a lot of lights and

darks that are intermingled. Scenes like
this are especially challenging for
watercolor painting because we typically
paint from light to dark and preserve the
lights as we go.

Look for scenes that have well defined

areas of light and dark. Also, be mindful
of the large shapes of the scene. They
are the building blocks that your entire
painting relies on.

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 2. DETERMINE
THE MAIN
IDEA
When you decide to paint a scene it is
important to remember why you selected
it in the first place. Your "why" will guide
your decision making throughout the
entire process.

Typically for me, it is the interaction

between the lights and darks of the
scene. I like sunlight and the affect it
creates on the environment.

In the above example, the light hitting the side of the boat was why I selected the scene. So, I
placed that area prominently on the upper right third of the painting.

Once I determine what the

main idea of my painting is, I
compose the scene in a way
to position that area of
importance near one of the
thirds of my paper. Where
these red lines intersect are
the thirds of the scene. This is
an important design element
to consider when planning out
your composition.

Throughout the process, I

keep an eye on that area of
the painting and ensure that I
am keeping it the focus of my
painting.

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3. IDENTIFY
THE LARGE
SHAPES OF
THE SCENE

Once you have selected your scene and

determined the main area of emphasis, it
is now time to identify the large shapes of
the scene.

The best way to see the large connected

shapes of the scene is to squint. By
looking at your scene through half-closed
eyes you eliminate detail and can start to
see the image in a simpler way.

When looking for the large shapes of

the scene, think in terms of value
groups: lights, mid-tones and darks.

Squint at the image below and see how Once we blur the scene by squinting, we see that a
the trees and buildings merge together lot of the values are similar in strength and can be
where the like values are touching. painted in a connected way.

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 4. CREATE A
SKETCH OR
STUDY
The best way to design our composition is
to do a thumbnail sketch or value study.
This is a great way to play with different
ideas without committing too much time
or effort. A thumbnail sketch can be as
small as a couple inches in diameter.

Once you get in the practice of doing

these you will determine how much detail
is needed for you to organize your ideas.

A value study is a great tool that can help

you determine the order in which you
paint your scene, as well as create a plan
to successfully create the light in the
scene.

To create a value study you leave the lights as the white of the paper, then paint your middle
values as one large connected shape, then add in your darks to finish the study.

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 5. PLAN OUT
YOUR 3 MAIN
WASHES
It is helpful to break down your painting
process into three primary washes. Lights,
mid-tones and darks.

Not every mark you make will land within

these three washes but the majority will.

When you take time to plan each of these

key washes, pre-mix what colors you can,
and understand the objective of each The first wash is to lay down all of the lightest
one, you are much more likely to be values around the scene. This often includes the
successful. sky and other areas that are in light.

Here is an example of what this looks like.

The middle value wash is the most challenging,
but likely the most important. This is the stage
of the painting that benefits most from
planning. Pre-mixing colors before you paint
this large connected shape can really help this
phase go smoother and feel less rushed.
Adding in the darks and details is the final
stage of the painting. This is a lot of fun
because all of the hard work leads up to this
satisfying ending. The darks really help the light
come to life.

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 Add these 5 steps into your pre-painting
process and you will see a big
improvement in your work!

1. Pick the right subject

2. Determine the Main Idea

3. Identify the large shapes of the scene

4. Create a sketch or study
5. Plan out your 3 main washes

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