Supplies
For this project I used:
- * Arches Cold Pressed Watercolour Block 7x10inch.
- * Winsor and Newton Professional Watercolour Paints in Sepia, Burnt Sienna, Indigo, Olive Green, Winsor Yellow.
- * Pro Arte Round Brushes, sizes 2 and 6
- Artway 1.5 inch flat wash brush.
- Pencil and Eraser
- * Winsor and Newton Designer Gouache in Permanent White.
* These are affiliate links and if you use them you’ll get 10% off your first order and I’ll receive a small commission too.
Download the Outline
Download The Line Art For This Project
Click the button below to download the outline for this project for free. All you need to do is print it out, transfer the outline to your watercolour paper using carbon paper, pencil transfer or by using a light source like a light box. See my video on how to do this if you’re stuck!
Downloads are for personal use only. Please do not sell any work based on this artwork and please credit me if you post work online that you’ve made from following this tutorial or using this line work.
Video Tutorial on Youtube!
Step - By - Step Instructions
Draw or Trace your Pencil Outline
Find the outline above and follow this video tutorial to transfer your line drawing onto watercolour paper.
Paint the Sky
Use a large brush to apply clean water to the top two thirds of your page.
Apply a grey blue wash of paint, starting at the top of the page, and adding a few swashes of colour into the water further down. I used mostly indigo, with some sepia to make it more neutral. Hold your paper at an angle to help the water flow down the page, and use a clean brush to blend the paint back and forth.
Leave to dry.
Begin Adding in Areas of Colour
Begin to fill in areas, it doesn’t matter what order you do these in. Allow an area to dry completely before painting next to it.
I’ve left white gaps in my hillside here which will be the white silver birch tree trunks. I’ve tried to be quite careful with my lines, but don’t worry if you make any wobbles, we can fix them later.
Here I’ve painted the near hillside in a mix of indigo and burnt Sienna paint, allowing the colours to bloom.
I’ve mixed a little more sepia into my sky colour to paint the rocks grey.
Paint the near and distant hills
Paint the nearby ground in patches of different greens, made by mixing different quantities of olive green, Winsor yellow and burnt Sienna.
Paint the far hills in a blue grey, similar to the sky colour.
Paint the middle hills in a colour that is between the far hills and the green foreground. I’ve just mixed the paints left on my palette. Painting the far hills a cooler colour than the near hills helps give a sense of distance. You can make the further hills look mistier by painting them lighter too.
Paint the Trees
Begin painting the leafy areas. I’ve painted these in cloud-like shapes.
I’ve painted these in the same greens as the foreground, with a little more burnt Sienna to give a sense of the leaves turning into their autumnal colours.
I’ve started at the top of the tree with lighter colours, more yellow greens and browns.
Allow each area to dry before painting next to it.
Where the tree branches pass in front of the leaves, I’ve left a white stripe.
Add Shadow areas to the trees
Continue painting the trees, making sure to leave spaces for all the branches.
As you paint further down the trees, add in a little indigo to the mix to give a sense of areas being in shadow.
Strengthen your tree Branches with Gouache.
Using a small paintbrush, go over any areas of your tree trunks or branches that need neatening up!
Add Bark Texture
Using a strong mix of sepia and a small brush, add tiny stripes and dots to your tree trunks and branches, to give them a distinctive silver birch look.
I look forward to seeing your interpretations of this project!
if you post your work on instagram, tag me @louracheldavis and I’ll see them, and share them in my stories!
