Watercolor Landscapes: Experimental Tools and Techniques

Get to know watercolor artist Christian Koivumaa and hear about how painting became a way of life for him. He also shares the influences he admires and those who inspire him to continue developing his artistic skills.

Familiarize yourself with materials for the course. Then, Christian teaches you the guidelines for successful composition and perspective before showing how to sketch from reference photos with pencil and then with your watercolors. He also guides you through the technique of negative painting and shows you how to paint clouds into your landscape.

Learn a variety of Christian’s favorite techniques for creating depth, texture, highlights, and fog or smoke. He takes you through how to use each tool for each effect, including how to preserve your white space with masking fluid. Then he shows you how to soften the edges of the paint once it has dried.

Take what you have learned and paint your landscape. Begin by masking your paper and sketching your image. Christian then guides you step-by-step through the application of your first and second washes, explaining the mixing of paints and creating your foreground. End the course by painting the focal point of your artwork and adding the final details to the piece.