A guide to: Watercolour Landscapes
Tim A Shaw
“My name is Tim A Shaw, I’m a London-based artist and I’ve been working professionally for over 15 years. I use a range of mediums in my practice, but one of my favourites to work with is watercolour. That’s why I’m excited to share with you the steps I follow to create a simple and impressive landscape painting using Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolours.”
Stage 1
First, I like to mask off the area I want to paint with a bit of tape. This helps to keep things neat and gives me a clear area to focus on.
Stage 2
Then, using a wet-on-wet technique, I create a soft, warm sky as a background. Here I’ve used Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine, Cadmium Yellow Hue and Payne’s Gray colours. At this point I like to work quickly to create an atmosphere rather than concentrating on detail.
Stage 3
While that dries, I’ll paint a series of very roughly applied mountain shapes using watercolours from the set. On some of the mountains, I’ll add extra water at the pinnacles, which, as they dry, will create the mountain crests. Once they dry, I’ll cut out mountainous shapes to use later.
Stage 4
After that I’ll move back to working on the original painting. Again, working quickly with wet colours meeting wet colours, I’ll add a hazy midground of mountains to my painting, mirroring some of the colours used in my sky.
Stage 5
At this point I like to add some painterly marks to give the sense of movement in the sky and shape to the hills. I like the way the swirls and undulations give some drama and atmosphere to the painting.
Stage 6
Once everything is dry, I’ll use Winsor & Newton Matt Medium (PVA works well too) to stick down the cut-out mountain shapes in the foreground.
Stage 7
Placing some heavy books on the collaged painting will help the adhered elements stick down effectively.
Stage 8
The result is a colourful, lively landscape with great depth and a bit of drama. I hope you enjoy experimenting with the techniques I’ve shared. This is just a guide, so please feel free to try different colours and shapes that work with your style or preference.
Uncompromising on quality
Formulated for transparency and lightfastness, Cotman Watercolours are accessible without compromising on quality.
Ideal for artists using large quantities of paper
Perfect introduction for students, beginners and hobbyists wanting to experiment, hone their skills and work with large quantities of paper.
High quality synthetic watercolour brush
Mixed fibre widths give excellent spring and superior paint loading In a wide range of shapes and sizes. Perfect with Cotman watercolours.