Welcome! In this course, we’ll be painting New York in watercolour. Learning how to capture an urban landscape in a quick, fun, and loose manner is an essential skill that every artist should learn to master. Watercolour is the perfect medium that allows you to produce spontaneous and expressive paintings on the go. Urban landscapes can be confusing to paint. With so much going on, and an overload of detail, we can often get lost in our painting. In this course, I’ll show you how to paint any urban landscape easily by using layering techniques and understanding light and shadow. Planning is crucial. I’ll show you how to simplify buildings, figures, cars, and shadows into basic shapes. Getting those large components in accurately beforehand is essential for your painting to make sense. In this course you’ll learn: How to paint simple paintings of any urban landscape in watercolourHow to sketch and plan your urban landscape painting in pencil before you start paintingHow and when to use wet-in-wet watercolour techniques to paint clouds, skies, buildings and shadowsHow to paint basic buildings, shadows, cars and people with minimal effort and brushstrokesHow to add people into your landscape in a natural and simple wayHow to layer effectively to add extra detailsHow to combine layers to create depth naturallyHow to paint simple shadows and identify or choose a light source in your paintingSo join me in this course! You’ll see just how easy it is to create this amazing scene in no time at all. Course Materials and scans are found under the ‘Materials’ lecture. Assignment: Your course project is to draw and paint your own urban landscape in watercolour! This can be a scene featured in this course or based on one of your own photographs or scenes you have observed outside. You can also refer to the scanned drawing/painting templates attached below which will allow you to trace the drawing if you choose to do so. I recommend drawing each scene freehand. Drawing is an important step in improving your painting skills. This provides you with an opportunity to compose and plan your painting. Once you’ve finished the drawing, use the watercolor steps and processes included in the course demonstrations to complete your painting. Materials: Use any watercolour paints, pencil watercolour paper, and brushes you have available. I recommend:0.5mm mechanical pencilArtist-grade watercolour paints - blue, yellow, and red100% cotton watercolour paper or sketchbookWatercolour Brushes - mop brush and a variety of round brushes for detailing. Getting Started: Review the course demonstration videos first. You can also download the tracing templates to transfer over your drawing if you wish. Looking to sketch and paint another scene? Research some free reference photo websites, pick one of your own reference photos, or simply find an outdoor location where you can sit and paint. Using the steps and processes included in this course, create your own unique urban sketch. Sharing Your Work: Share your final painting and progress shots with the course by uploading them to the Q & A or discussion section. If you have any questions or need more tips, please let me know. I’m happy to help.
