Marquam Bridge Watercolor Painting Demonstration Video
This watercolor painting video is of a bridge scene in Portland, Oregon. This painting demonstrates watercolor techniques such as the use of a limited watercolor palette and use of dry brushstrokes. I really had fun doing this painting!
To begin this watercolor painting, I lightly sketched in the bridge. Then I start painting in the sky area. I paint around some of the white areas to form clouds. Then I can move on to the bridge area. This is the first wash in this area so I don’t have to worry about detail. For the bridge I use Quinacridone Gold and Raw Umber with a little Cerulean Blue for a cool accent. I use the same mixture in the background. I use a neutral green color for the background trees. As I get closer to the water line, I use a thicker pigment.
In the watercolor painting video, you’ll notice that one of my watercolor techniques is the use of dry brush strokes to add interest and texture. The rough watercolor paper helps with this method. Then I put in some structural elements of the bridge. As I work on painting the area of the bridge in the foreground, I using the same color; just richer and thicker pigment. To make the color darker, I add some Ultramarine Blue. Now I need to let that area dry a little before I can scrape it, so I move to work on some detail work on the left.
Now I can scrape in some lines using my thumbnail. This technique is all about timing. If I scrape too soon, the paint will fill it back in. If I wait too long, the watercolor paint will be dry and won’t scrape off.
The final part of the watercolor painting video is the water. I’m using a neutral blue watercolor. I add some Permanent Alizarin Crimson into the blue color to make it darker and more violet. The last step is the add some reflections while the paint is still wet. There you have it, a simple watercolor painting demonstrating the watercolor techniques of a limited palette and dry brushstrokes.
Very impressive video and you have remarkable talent. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Terry! You are welcome!
dear artist,
video bridge scene….very nice!
i like free and bold work.
Kashinath
Thanks Kashinath!
Beautifully painted–and I love the radical perspective.
I will have to try some rough paper.
Laura, I love painting on rough paper. It’s hard for me to use cold press anymore. Earlier this year I won an award and part of the winnings was 25 sheets of Arches cold press. I haven’t even opened the pack yet!
You’ve been very busy this weekend, I can see! The blog looks great, and I’ve been to FlickR, where I downloaded the reference photos–easy! Thanks so much!
Yes, it was a busy, but fun weekend! I still managed to attend a BBQ, do some yardwork, have my parents over for dinner and attend the fireworks, whew! I’m glad you were able to able to find the reference photos easily.
Hi Vinita,
Your style is bold and free. It reminds me of Alvaro Castignet style.
Wonderful.
Ashok
Thanks Ashok, I taught Alvaro everything he knows…just kidding! Thanks for the compliment, Alvaro is a great artist.
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