How To Paint a Picture of a Lighthouse Worksheet for watercolor.

I am delighted to share my free how-to-paint a picture of a lighthouse worksheet and lesson.

This is a picture that was inspired by a lighthouse we visited on a vacation. This little lesson is a good practice and skill builder for any artist. Teachers and parents will be able to use this in class or as a do-at-home project. It can be a lesson by itself or an extra activity.

Remember to set your printer to color.

A WORD ABOUT PRINTING THE WORKSHEET

For help with printing CLICK HERE to go to my how-to print page or try one of the updated links below that should print better. 

How to Paint a Picture of a Lighthouse in Watercolor

My worksheets are free. Print as many as you like. Please make a small contribution through Paypal so I will know you appreciate my projects. 

Thank You

You might also like the How to Paint a Sailboat on the Bay worksheet, CLICK HERE.

Here is a File that may work better on some printers or different programs.

If the first file (JPEG) is not clear the PDF below will work better.

CLICK HERE for a file in a portable data 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 NOTES.

Trace the design on watercolor paper. If it is too hard to trace try to hold it against a window with the light coming through to see it better.

FIRST, put clear water in the sky area, be careful to put it around the lighthouse. Then drop in dark and light blue in random patterns. Dark blue above and light blue below they can mix in the middle. Leave random areas white for the clouds. Let this dry

Use light and dark green for the grass the dark green is on the lower part of the picture and the light green is up high nearest the lighthouse. If the lights are not light enough then use some tissue and blot some out. Let this dry.

 CLOUDS
After the background blues of the sky is dry wet the white areas where the clouds will be then swish in some yellows and oranges. Next, on the tops of the upper clouds swish in lavender and purples and blues. Let the colors blend naturally, but you can use a clean damp brush to move the colors around.

SEA
Use dark blue for the ocean in the background. Remember, keep the color light at the top and dark in the lower area.

LIGHTHOUSE
The lighthouse is round so it is lighter on one side and gradually becomes darker on the other side. Use a brush with watery blue-gray and wash the lighthouse with an even coat of water paint but leave one edge white. Pick up the picture and hold it sideways slightly so the color runs to the darker side of the lighthouse, it should have a gradual effect. If it doesn't look like it is round let it dry a little and add some darker color to the dark side. If the light side is not looking lighter use tissue and blot out some of the colors.
DO NOT DO THE BLACK STRIPES YET. LET THIS STEP DRY while you work on other areas.

While the shadow around the lighthouse is drying paint the top of the lighthouse black. Paint in the row of trees on the horizon with dark green and black. This should be much darker than the lawn in front of it. Use blue-gray for the shadow side of the workhouse.
Add details to the foreground lawn by mixing a darker green and draw a few lines back and forth for texture.
Paint the base of the lighthouse gray/black.
Paint in the path with mustard yellow or light brown.

LAST DETAILS
Use black paint and add the stripes on the lighthouse. Give the workhouse black shadows for the windows and the roof. Use more black on the base of the lighthouse if it looks like the sea is blending into it. If the sea is too dark use a brush with clear water and a tissue to lift some color out.

(c)Adron D. 8/24/16 Become a Patron!