Step-by-Step Plein Air Watercolor Demonstration

Twin Oaks

The main subject here is the light and how it plays across these
two ancient White Oaks.

This is a plein air painting demonstration from our Field Guide to Plein Air Watercolor Painting. If you choose to follow along with us, here are some important tips.

If you have not practiced and mastered the basic wash lesson yet, do this first. The techniques used in this painting are primarily the wet-into-wet and graded washes. Careful attention to water management in brushes and paper is a must. Be sure to have your palette loaded with all your colors in the proper positions, and the paint in the wells thoroughly dissolved into pools of rich, juicy color. Think of your palette as holding the concentrated colors from which you will carefully manage the proper amount of dilution as you progress through the painting.

Remember, in watercolor, to paint light to dark, thin to thick. Initial washes should be as thin as tea, and gradually become milky-thick, then creamy, with final detail strokes havi…