Workshops to Pass On · Eaux de Velours

The Watercolour Workshop

Learn to work with water, pigment and colour mixes, then create a real painting.

Understanding water and pigment

Before painting a landscape, learn to let the water do some of the work. Prepare a practice sheet, a round brush, two jars of water and one colour.

Even wash

💧 Water: dry paper, well-loaded damp brush.
🎨 Pigment: one colour only.
🖌 Brushwork: work in horizontal bands, keeping a small bead of water along the edge.

Look for: an even surface with no dry joins.

Gradient wash

💧 Water: gradually add water to the mixture.
🖌 Brushwork: begin with stronger colour at the top and work down without going back over it.

Avoid: scrubbing an area that has started to dry.

Preserving the light

Deliberately leave areas of white paper. In watercolour, the brightest light is not painted: it is preserved.

Exercise: create three small clouds simply by painting the sky around them.

The Knight’s rule of thumb: if an area still shines, it is wet. Once it turns matt, let it dry before touching it again.

Essential watercolour techniques

These four techniques are enough to build a convincing landscape. Make a small practice square for each one before starting the painting.

Wet-on-wet

Wet the paper with clean water first, then add pigment. The edges soften and spread: ideal for skies, distant shapes and masses of trees.

💧 plenty of water · 🖌 place the colour, do not scrub

Wet-on-dry

Apply pigment to dry paper. Edges stay crisp: perfect for the bridge, boat, reeds and details.

💧 moderate water · 🖌 precise brushwork

Glazing

Once a layer is completely dry, add a transparent wash over it. The colours build up without losing their luminosity.

⏱ let the previous layer dry completely

Lifting & highlights

While an area is still damp, rinse and blot the brush, then gently lift pigment to bring back a highlight.

🖌 clean, almost dry brush

Building a landscape — The Water-Lily Pond

Look at the whole painting first, then build it from the softest shapes to the sharpest details. The aim is not to copy every leaf, but to create depth, water and light.

Watercolour landscape of a pond with water lilies, vegetation, a bridge and a boat — Reference painting — look at the main shapes before the details.

Step 1

The sky

Technique: wet-on-wet. Wet the sky with clean water. Add a very diluted blue at the top and leave white reserves for the clouds.

💧 plenty of water · 🎨 very little pigment · ⏱ let it dry

Step 2

The distance

Lay in very pale blue-greens. Keep details and contrast low: distant areas should remain light.

🖌 soft strokes · 🎨 blue + muted green

Step 3

The trees

Work in masses rather than leaf by leaf. While the first layer is still damp, drop cooler greens into the shadows.

💧 damp · 🎨 several greens · keep the variation

Step 4

Water and reflections

Use horizontal strokes. Echo the colours of the sky and banks in the water, lighter and more diffused.

🖌 horizontal strokes · preserve flashes of white paper

Step 5

Water lilies & vegetation

On dry paper, place the large leaves as irregular ellipses. Vary their size, value and direction. Add the flowers afterwards.

🖌 wet-on-dry · work from large shapes to small ones

Step 6

Bridge, boat and finishing touches

Only now add the sharpest lines and darkest accents. A few well-chosen details are enough to make the whole landscape convincing.

🎨 stronger pigment · 🖌 fine brush · know when to stop

Tip: take a photo of your painting after each stage. On screen, it is easier to spot an area that has become too dark or too detailed.

3 · A4 TEMPLATE

Prepare a real painting, not an abstract diagram

The template now starts from the actual reference painting. First observe the composition and the light and dark masses, then open the generator to create a numbered template from this image.

Reference watercolour of the Water Lilies — Reference model · The Water Lilies

Turn my photo into a painting template

Your image stays with you. It is processed directly in your browser and is not stored on the website.

Photo Difficulty Preserve whites

Choose a photo to begin.