I am delighted to share my how-to-paint the watermill with you.
This worksheet is a great practice project for young artists. It employs only a few colors and has many opportunities for experimentation and developing an artist's technique. It is a simple picture and looks lovely when you are done.
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THE SUBJECT
There are many of these old watermills still around. Mostly they are museums or part of a park, and they are not operational. They make a beautiful subject for a landscape. This design was inspired by a picture of a watermill in Virginia. I made changes to the design to give it more interest. I painted it a few times to make this little worksheet. It took a couple of weeks to create this for you. I hope you like it.
A WORD ABOUT PRINTING THE WORKSHEET
The file below is a JPEG and should print nicely on most systems. If you have any problems, CLICK HERE to visit my how-to-print page for some suggestions. The file below is in PDF format that may work better if the other does not work for you.
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| How to Paint a Picture of the Watermill Worksheet and Lesson |
Below is a file in PDF format that may work better on some devices.
👉👉👉 CLICK HERE for the PDF file.
It takes me days to create a worksheet like this, but I am glad to do it because I believe when God gives you a gift, it is so you can be a gift. I hope these worksheets are helpful for you.
Here is a larger image to trace for this project.
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| The pattern for How to Paint a Picture of an American Watermill Lesson |
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.
PROJECT NOTES
Start by tracing the outline onto 140 lb watercolor paper. This is the heavy paper that will not buckle when it is wet. If you have problems seeing the outline through the paper, try holding it to the window with the light shining through.
There is more than one way to paint a picture, and there is more than one place to start. I like to start with the lightest colors.
Wet the sky and swish in watery blue. Let it remain uneven with some light and some darker areas of blue and even a few almost-white areas.
DO NOT WET THE POND, but use the tip of your small brush and draw some horizontal lines. This is to give the pond a look of rippling water reflecting the blue sky.
Mix green yellow and use a watery medium-sized brush to lay down the light areas of the trees and shrubs.
After the first wash of light green dries, mix a Medium green, try using a little blue and brown to the green. Remember, the distant trees are the lightest, and the nearest shrubs are the darkest. Dabb, the medium green onto the light green, be sure to leave a lot of light green showing everywhere.
After the medium green has dried, mix some dark green, use a little violet, brown, VERY LITTLE black, and dab in the darkest areas.
Give the building and fence a layer of light-brown, but don't make it flat and even leave some white showing through for interest.
After the light brown has dried, mix medium red-brown and use the tip of your brush to draw the details of the building and some of the fence. Do not overdo it; be sure to leave the light areas showing between the dark lines.
With the tip of your brush, use grey-brown and draw dashes for the bricks in the foundation. Draw the shingles on the roof. Add some dark areas to the fence.
After the medium brown dries, mix dark brown and paint the darkest areas under the water trough in the wheel and inside the windows. Do not hurry this step; if it is too dark, it will look bad.
If it becomes too dark, use tissue and clear water to blot the color out.
Use the tip of your brush and horizontal strokes to put the colors in the pond.
Sign and date your work about an inch from the bottom, so there is room for a frame. Give it a name.
I hope you create a masterpiece!
(c)Adron Dozat
2/16/2021
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