How to paint a picture of a bell tower.
I made this worksheet as a handout to give my art students so they could take it home and practice painting on their own.
Remember to set your printer to color.
A WORD ABOUT PRINTING THE WORKSHEET
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How to Paint a Picture of a Belltower. Printable Worksheet |
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If the photo file gives you trouble, the PDF below should work better.
CLICK HERE for a file in Universal Portable format.
Start by tracing the little design onto some 140 lb watercolor paper. This is the heavy paper that does not buckle. If it is hard to trace try holding it against a window with the light coming through. You could scan the design and enlarge it but the watercolor paper is expensive so I suggest you may want to do the project in its original small size.
You may notice that the picture is loosely drawn without a lot of detail. Do not try to add detail at this stage, it is a painting you will add detail at the end.
FIRST WASH
Do the lighter pale colors first.
Use watery blue for the sky, leave some areas white for the clouds.
Use light brown for the distant mountains.
Use watery green for the trees, and drop a little brown into the green for shadows.
Use watery mustard yellow for the underpainting of the building front. Mix a little purple in the yellow to make the color for the underpainting of the shadows.
Use orange for the tile roof.
NOW LET IT DRY
SECOND WASH
Use the tip of the brush to "draw" in the details.
Mix a little brown into the mustard yellow for a darker yellow-brown and draw dashes for the bricks.
Use red and draw the tiles of the roof.
Mix purple and brown for the bricks in shadow.
Mix purple violet and brown for the shadows inside the windows.
CLICK HERE for a file in Universal Portable format.
ART SUPPLY LIST
You can use any watercolor paint. I prefer my small Windsor Newton paint set; it has a nice selection of colors. I also use Grumbacher Paints in the tubes. You can easily find these at any craft store like Lobby Hobby or Michaels. (Look for coupons online.) You can collect lots of paintbrushes, but it is better at the start to keep it simple with a few small, medium, and medium-large brushes and a combination of flats as well as rounded paintbrushes. For these art lessons, I use Strathmore series 300 Watercolor paper. It is economical and available at Michaels and Hobby Lobby and online.
PRINTABLE ART PROJECT NOTES
Start by tracing the little design onto some 140 lb watercolor paper. This is the heavy paper that does not buckle. If it is hard to trace try holding it against a window with the light coming through. You could scan the design and enlarge it but the watercolor paper is expensive so I suggest you may want to do the project in its original small size.
You may notice that the picture is loosely drawn without a lot of detail. Do not try to add detail at this stage, it is a painting you will add detail at the end.
FIRST WASH
Do the lighter pale colors first.
Use watery blue for the sky, leave some areas white for the clouds.
Use light brown for the distant mountains.
Use watery green for the trees, and drop a little brown into the green for shadows.
Use watery mustard yellow for the underpainting of the building front. Mix a little purple in the yellow to make the color for the underpainting of the shadows.
Use orange for the tile roof.
NOW LET IT DRY
SECOND WASH
Use the tip of the brush to "draw" in the details.
Mix a little brown into the mustard yellow for a darker yellow-brown and draw dashes for the bricks.
Use red and draw the tiles of the roof.
Mix purple and brown for the bricks in shadow.
Mix purple violet and brown for the shadows inside the windows.