This wonderful old home is located in Columbia County, Florida and is covered with wisteria. Before we begin, I am going to assume you have some watercolor experience. I always begin with a careful drawing but not too much detail. Lay in your sky, I have used cerulean blue and ultramarine with a touch of alizarin. I used a paper towel to “pick up” the clouds. To build the farthest tree line, I used ultramarine and hookers green, applied it thinly, using a spritz bottle to create the lacey tree tops. Next using darker colors and a VARIETY of greens, yellows, burnt sienna and reds, I apply darker trees outlining the hard edge of the roof and large tree on the right. Again, I use the spritz bottle to keep the top edges lacey .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leave a negative space for the final touch of wisteria on the left roof edge. These old buildings can fool you! Are they brown? Gray? Red? Actually, they are all colors, I have found that by using burnt sienna, cerulean blue, indigo, and alizarin I can create a reasonable base color that “reads” true for a weathered look. Working quickly, and keeping your colors fresh and rich, I move across the building, changing color every inch or less and allowing them to mix and mingle on their own. Apply the paint, do not paint it on.

The old metal roof is done with cerulean blue and burnt sienna, painting only the “symbols” of a ridged metal roof. Shadows at the end of the session will make it look finished but not over painted.

Using the same colors on your palette, but going DARKER, paint the space under the porch. With this same rich color, add “symbols” for windows and siding. Use an impressionist approach, do not paint in every detail. On a bright sunny day, lay in dark, sharp shadows. They help to tell the story by accentuating details, the deep overhang of the roof, the hanging wisteria, the depth of the chimney.

At this stage, I have painted the chimney a light gray, later I will paint in bricks (or rocks!) .

 

As I paint in the foliage for the wisteria, I realize that it might be better if some hangs over the eaves on the left side so I use clean water and a stiff brush to massage the paint off, allow to dry and paint in additional foliage.

The foreground foliage is a combination of the colors you have already used, layer them keeping the colors fresh and the brush strokes crisp. Drop and splatter and spritz to create lots of texture. I used the same purple in the fence post that I used in the wisteria to pull the colors together.

The pine tree s done with greens and browns, and a spritzed foliage canopy.

 

Now you can have fun! Add punch with dark shadows and small details like the wire on the fence posts and the symbols of brick on the chimney. Here I also splattered purple flowers on the far right, again to tie in the colors used on the building. I used water to “lift” the details under the porch roof. This technique works best when you have laid down a rich color with one pass. Nearly done… When I get this far, I stop and put a matt on the work. It is now that I decide how to matt and frame the final painting. Last step, sign your work!

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