Easy Layered Watercolor Landscape Painting Process. Real-Time Paint Along Demo.

Layering a watercolor landscape from light to dark with minimal amounts of painting around other elements is a good practice to cultivate. In this video I'll demonstrate how that process works with a simple landscape. This is all in realtime and might make a good paint along if you're interested.
...I apologize in advance for the head interference...sigh!
A good video example of a tiled painting approach - • Rock & Boulder Landsca...
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Colors used in this video (in mixes):
- Neutral Tint
- Red Iron Oxide
- Dioxizine Purple
- Ultramarine Blue
- Phthalo Green
- Azo Green
(not in the 10-Color Set)
- Nickel Quinacridone Gold
- Payne's Gray
- Cerulean Blue
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[@t2terri]

Thanks for keeping the ref photo on screen… easier to understand the intent of your brush strokes!😊

[@lotusphere6]

This is my Saturday morning cartoons. I really like having a regular show that I can watch on the weekends.

[@ellyssahotchkiss]

Great video. The Manchester Orchestra clip was 🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼 I hope you're a fan!!

[@adriannabcustomfurniture]

I've gone a while without watching your videos (sadly) due to getting ready for this upcoming homeschooling year. This video reminded me to never do that again 😂 between what you teach and the editing humor, your videos are a must haha. Okay, back to the video 😊 P.S. I get lazy too...more than I'd like to admit 😂🤦‍♀️

[@mendyviola]

Your thumbnails look better than my finished landscapes. I do a lot of detailed botanicals, and my landscapes leave a lot to be desired. I should start with thumbnails for practice, then size up gradually.

[@karenturner-cf7vq]

I like this landscape. I listened to your talk on softening the edges, I will be trying that method. I tend to use a sketch book first, then paint the actual picture. Thankyou

[@susanshisler7074]

Thank you for emphasizing PROCESS. This was so illuminating. I would like to see more landscape subjects in the real-time paint along format. This is what I need.

[@martineblanchette2164]

Thanks Steve ! So informative ! (and you made me laugh with the dwarf, it is so funny when you add "comments" like that)

[@schissleracademyoffinearts8370]

Excellent !

[@colleenmcchesney1482]

I’m so glad you did this video on layering landscapes. I have been doing this kind of painting before and wondering if I have been correct at going about my process & progress. Also great to see how you simplify the original photo. Thanks for sharing this informational video. Have a great weekend!

[@corneliahanel-vogler1579]

Sehr schön! Danke Grüße von Conny aus Germany.

[@Amy-um2lk]

This video cracked me up, and I learned a lot so thanks!!

[@FreeSpokenOne]

When I saw the word layered my first thought was, you know, layers! I've been a digital artist so long that this means something different, yet not entirely. Digital layers are separated yet work together but are more easily erased or altered after the fact. The same rules apply here and are more permanent so the need to get this right is important but not entirely set in stone. I love how you demonstrate this. Fear of screwing it up is the limiter I've had with moving pigments in water but watching how you handle this helps remind me that either it can be corrected or altered to once more look right, even when using organicly moving pigments. I've had experience with old-school acrylics and am now trying to relate to watercolor and have come a long way with it already in watching you. Firstly knowing there is no way to control this medium, it's a thing to accept as it is with its own set of rules to live with. As another example, I no longer need someone to explain why watercolorists have an aversion to using 'white' paint! I get that, some do use it, just not like other mediums due to preserving luminosity whenever possible. That was the answer I sought from the start and this was confusing to me. Then I saw you use Dr. Martin's Bleed-Proof White and all was well with the world! Like you, I use whatever it takes to get a thing done as it's how it looks that counts, not who likes it if I do... or not. Enjoyed watching you work Steve, thanks! Blessings to you and your family always.

[@annenglish2935]

Even as a beginner, your teaching style is still working its way to me!!! I'm so thankful also... through to the last encouragement you give! A California Gramma ♥️

[@janeosborne165]

Lovely painting, Steve. I'll be rewatching this one.

[@terayahm6873]

So beautiful. thank you

[@gloriawachel917]

great lesson

[@soniatuttle4054]

Love this demo. Interesting how well the flat brush worked on this type of scene.

[@arlenemurphy804]

Beautiful

[@dc5563]

Fabulous instruction, thanks SO much! Can't wait to try it....

[@richarddewitt3457]

Very informative thank you for the video

[@jenniefrench1338]

Super lovely and educational. Thank you!

[@scottmcgonagle3102]

Fantastic as always Steve!!!! I appreciate you!!

[@bonnieg4076]

I love this concept. As always, inspiring and helpful.

[@barbwhite6217]

This was so clear. Really helps make sense of the process. Thank you!

[@calmilitaru643]

Excellent Tutorial! Love the different values!

[@kathrynlehotsky2815]

Love this video . Thank Steve Kathryn

[@yunzers]

Thanks for sharing this. Very informative and helpful. Really appreciate it.

[@tarotbysemaj2424]

Thanks for the brilliant education. Seeing you paint and allowing us to join in and follow was a brilliant eye opening to see technique applied in how to achieve the results. Too seeing your manipulation of the photo was great insight into composition. I have now painted this multiple times, just trying to get better in watercolor. So appreciate everything you share. Oh, and the editing is excellent, I do appreciate your humor.

[@jilld8787]

Thoroughly enjoyable and packed with info! Many thanks! 🥰

[@julieo8017]

So helpful and inspiring Would appreciate seeing that sky being done sometime 😉

[@spider_kite]

Thank you! I will have to try this out today!

[@cindybtanner3974]

Fabulous lesson! Thank you 😊😇

[@maryanharrell561]

Very interesting, Steve. I learned a lot, and enjoyed it so much!

[@ChantelleArts]

Great explanation at the beginning of the two approaches to begin a painting! Looks amazing ☺️

[@debbieritter1096]

Appreciate your informative video- thank you for sharing your techniques and helpful tips

[@lindathaxton1994]

This paint along was excellent - putting lessons to actual doing - excellent! Thank you so much for your time & knowledge 🙏

[@kirstynewbery8012]

Love this Steve. I'm currently working on a landscape similar to this one. Appreciate the refresh on technique.

[@OmegaRainbow]

beautiful!

[@lindaking9222]

Very informative…wonderful result….simple but effective

[@lynnsullivan4878]

Thanks Steve. I love layering! It's such a challenge for me. It really pays off when I get it right! Layering is magical to me!🌝

[@mindofwatercolor]

Not to mention it makes the whole painting more effortless when you can do it vs painting around shapes.

[@maggiew7293]

Magnificent explanation while you paint. You have given me the courage to try this. Thank you.

[@TerrieJohnson731]

It's been a long time, Steve, but I am pulling my paints soon after putting them away. I have a completely different life now, and I want to paint as well as continue electric ukalele through the remainder of my retired life. You are my favorite teacher. I'll be catching up! Thanks for this video 🥰🍒🍒🍒

[@Richard-ou6uw]

Great demo in real time ,really enjoyed it 👍👍

[@fiddler1252]

Wonderfully clear demo of sky and water reflection wash. 🤓

[@lotusphere6]

Awesome video. Thanks for sharing.

[@deborahgoodwin3426]

Yay!! I am so happy to see one of your more realistic tutorials. Much as I love the others, they are not my 'jam'. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

[@mindofwatercolor]

Thanks Deborah, but just so you know, I have tons of realistic tutorials. Many even more realistic than this one. Hope you'll check out the channel.

[@ralphcrosby9622]

Thank you for this helpful content.

[@susiedelay999]

Thank you, this was very helpful‼👍

[@antiochfoxlake7]

I love your painting. We could use other colors but your techniques are very informative. I will give it a go.

[@judybreedlove5348]

Thanks, Steve, for the great video. I prefer this method over the tile method.

[@getsomecolourinyourlifedav2478]

Another great tutorial my friend

[@sharonrapp401]

Needed this video. I’ve been struggling with painting Plein air lately because I get so invested in the details and drawing. I will try this tomorrow.

[@carolatchley3797]

Thanks Steve.

[@kevinheller1145]

Thanks Steve…would have loved to see your technique for the “misty” look in the middle of reference photo…I love that detail…Thanks again!!!

[@1msfit]

This is a big help in a couple of ways. I am a beginner and although I have a couple of good flat brushes, I have really shied away from using them. Now I HAVE to try them before tackling the next in my Bad Painting series. This layering technique really appeals to me. Eric Yi Lin calls that first layer “painting the light.”

[@mindofwatercolor]

Yes, he's so right!

[@watercolourworkout2383]

I tried this and framed as well. Shared a 6 minutes video on my channel. 🙂

[@awatercolourist]

Hello! Some artists use tape across the image to define the horizon. They would then paint the sky - or the water - and then remove the tape immediately, while the painting is still wet. This gives a very straight and clean horizon line. To avoid ripping the paper, put the tape on your clothes and remove it before applying it to your paper; this knocks back the tackiness of the tape.

[@mindofwatercolor]

Yes. If you need a visible edge for the horizon that could work. But in most cases I don't want to see a hard horizon line. I just need to know where it is.

[@tammaraliberty]

Thanks!

[@mindofwatercolor]

Thanks so much!

[@tammaraliberty]

@@mindofwatercolor Thank you. A very small token for everything I have learned from you. I could never thank you enough.

[@kathleensmith1494]

Thank you for keeping the reference picture visible. It helps me to understand what you’re doing. Was wondering if there’s a way to incorporate the fog in the picture. I really enjoyed this video and the need for planning.

[@susanpopiolek4672]

Steve, love your work! Would like to see how you would tackle the misty element that was in the middle of that photo.

[@mindofwatercolor]

Thanks! In short. With gouache. It would be a tricky thing to plan into transparent washes. The mist in this photo was a little confusing too so I would put it only over the distant layers.

[@susanpopiolek4672]

@@mindofwatercolor thinking maybe it could be lifted with a sponge but agree that in your reference it was a confusing place to be!

[@timhutchinson8485]

This reminds me of a more transparent version of some of the things that Chuck McLachlan does.

[@andreafranne]

Absolutely beautiful!! How did you mix the first blue-green colour of the mountain on the left?

[@ruthdallas6125]

If you have time in your videos could you help us beginners by mentioning substitutes for the more unusual colors. I don’t have the gold or rusty red you mentioned. The land looks a lot like yellow ocher but perhaps that would not work. I work with a Windsor Newton pallet with just 25 colors. Thanks so much I so appreciate your teaching.

[@mindofwatercolor]

Yellow ochre would work fine. Raw Sienna also. Just learn to mix visually. Just some Indian Yellow mixed with a bit of purple or violet for example. Don't get too caught up in paint color names. Also, pay more attention to values. Much more important than color.

[@socratesthecabdriver]

🙏🌊🔱🌪🌪🌪

[@kspringer5096]

Thank you for a nice tutorial. To me, giving the substitute colors in the description at the top of the page would be more helpful than a comment buried in the thread of comments; & the added video clips are a bit jolting with the sound being so loud. :-)

[@joyfulldj]

Thirds rule of thumb here i put a mark on the masking tape hehe underpaintings are awesome.. I am kindof lazy and use my inktense for it lol stays put lol

[@ralphanderson2603]

I would add a focal point like a COLORFUL bird, your thoughts {Not just a landscape and perhaps tell a story like what is the bird "up to?"}

[@elaynegreaves9511]

Hi, I noticed that your paper doesn't buckle. I use the same paper and have lots of problems with buckling. Did you stretch it first?

[@katel9378]

Beautiful! Thanks for the tips, tricks, and paint along. What type of palette is that? I like the size, overall, and the size of the mixing area. I'd like to give it a try.

[@mindofwatercolor]

This is the palette amzn.to/3O8Df9a

[@katel9378]

@@mindofwatercolor Thank you!! Just ordered. Can wait to give it a try.

[@pattycyr8662]

This is great. I didn't realize some editing software allows one to move a horizon line - that's wild! (What colors did you use for the mountains - a pop-up video skipped over mine a bit. It has a very granulated appearance.) Thanks for the video.

[@mindofwatercolor]

It was just a crop really. I cropped out the foreground. The color is a complex mix of whatever I had out on my palette. Some ultramarine, nickel quin gold, neutral tint maybe? I get out several and mix until I’m happy.

[@pattycyr8662]

@@mindofwatercolor Thanks very much- I realized later when my husband told me it is a crop. Too funny! Thanks again for your wonderful and very informative videos. I share your channel link with my beginner watercolor class I host.

[@amyw9441]

Hi Steve, the brush you used in the small thumbnails, I see it was 12 Princeton. Was it the Elite series? I liked the point on it.

[@mindofwatercolor]

Yes

[@pattycyr8662]

Does working light to dark (in layering) mean just relating to values OR can you also use a very dark color for the first layer as long as you paint it in a light value? Thanks

[@mindofwatercolor]

You can paint with dark paint initially. Light to dark really refers more to leaving the highlights and working down into the shadows rather than adding highlights last like you would in oils or acrylics or even gouache.

[@carolmarashian8918]

Would you be willing to do a new video so we can see you painting the the beginning of the picture? The video didn’t start at the beginning. You explain what you did, but i need to SEE the process. Please!

[@mindofwatercolor]

It's just simple wet in wet painting. Demonstrated in several ways in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJOxk52Zp8inidk

[@mindofwatercolor]

I'll probably do another set of sky studies like that very soon.

[@Abby-oz4wv]

wow! for me you missed the most crucial part and what this type of format is all about; the beginning layer setup. As a professional maybe one would have considered a retake.

[@mindofwatercolor]

Not the most crucial part at all. Doesn't sound like you actually watched this.

[@reidpenton7345]

What app did you use to edit the photo?

[@mindofwatercolor]

Photoshop

[@reidpenton7345]

Thanks very much