Greg Mason Burns

Instruction: Step-by-Step Watercolor Painting

Step-by-Step Watercolor Painting

Step-by-Step Watercolor Painting: Mediterranean Beach Scene by Allan Kirk

Watercolorpainting.com has some nice step-by-step watercolor painting processes on how to paint specific paintings. I chose this Mediterranean Beach Scene by Allan Kirk to post here. He has a nice way of building up the painting. Although while I use much lighter washes than he does in the beginning, the technique is the same. I hope you enjoy this lesson by Allan Kirk.

I do things a bit differently these days. For one, I start with light washes and build up over time, darkening the areas that need more shadows. However, I’ve also developed a quick technique for doing small watercolor postcards that also includes some use of ink. I’ve done a lot of these postcards over the years to give back to my supporters. I’ve shared a video below that gives a step-by-step watercolor painting process for this type of work.

It’s important to remember that I start simple. I fill in colors and shapes and don’t worry about the detail until later. That’s why starting simple is important. If you put too much detail too early, you won’t be able to find the “feel” of the painting. In fact, using the ink technique really helps fill in the details in the end.