MONOCHROMATIC WATERCOLOUR LANDSCAPES
TERMS TO KNOW Monochrome: paintings, drawings, designs, or photographs in one color or values of one color.
LANDSCAPE Landscape art is the depiction of scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests. The picture has a wide view, with its elements arranged into a composition (arrangement) that works together.
WATERCOLOUR PAINT Water soluble paint whose value (darkness/ lightness) depends on the amount of water added to the pigment.
COMBINE THESE THREE THINGS AND YOU GET...
LET S GET STARTED... STEP 1: Take the small sheet of watercolour paper and tape it to the regular sheet of paper using masking tape. Use the pants method shown in class Make sure the tape is flat to the surface of the paper. Write your name and section # clearly on the larger sheet.
THIS IS WHAT YOUR SHEET SHOULD LOOK LIKE...
STEP 2: Using a pencil, lightly draw out the foreground, middle ground(s) and background of your landscape design. You can use the templates to help you. You can keep the middle ground and backgrounds pretty simple, but add more detail to the foreground.
THE 3 PARTS OF A LANDSCAPE: Foreground: The area closest to the viewer This area is generally at the bottom half or side of the image. Middle Ground: The area in between the fore and backgrounds. This area is generally in the middle of the picture and usually contains a connecting element: a boat, house, bridge, smaller trees etc. Background: The area furthest away from the viewer. This area is generally at the top of the page, and often contains elements like mountain ranges, sky and clouds, or a horizon line (a straight line separating the earth from the sky).
EXAMPLES OF LANDSCAPE OUTLINE
STEP 3: PAINT PRACTICE (10-15 minutes) Share a watercolour palette between 2 people (or more if you are all using a different colour) Choose 1 colour (NOT WHITE) to create your landscape. Using different amounts of water, practice making different values on a piece of scrap paper, light to dark. Also practice using 1 flat and 1 round brush.
STEP 4: PAINT! Using your chosen colour, start by painting in the lightest value in the background (because you are painting dark on top of light, you can paint into the middle ground with no worries). As you work your way to the front, make the values get increasingly darker. The foreground will be the darkest value and show the most detail (would be best to use a smaller, round brush for details). When you are done, lay on the drying rack for next class. DO NOT PULL OFF THE TAPE YET, EVEN IF IT FEELS DRY!!
STEP 5: Finishing Touches Once the painting is fully dry, carefully remove the tape from the edge. GENTLY erase any visible pencil marks Write your full name in the bottom right hand corner. Place in your folder for grading.
MORE EXAMPLES
HOW IS THIS BEING GRADED? Painting must include: At least 4 sections, including a foreground, middle ground and background and any other details you wish to add. (4 marks) At least 4 clearly defined values of your chosen colour. (4 marks) Must be neat and presentable (2 marks) Division between sections must be clear Name in bottom corner Foreground has the most detail