This painting lesson is perfect for beginners. You’ll learn watercolor painting techniques as you follow the lesson and end up with a beautiful final painting!
Watercolor techniques used:
- Masking areas with tape
- Wet on wet painting
- Dry on dry
- Using salt
- Softening lines with water
- Adding details in ink
An easy introduction to watercolor that yields a beautiful final painting no matter what your skill level.
Supplies you’ll need:
- Watercolor paper. I used Arches 140 lb. cold pressed
- Painter’s tape
- Watercolor paint. Suggestions: purple, grey or black, blue
- Paintbrushes – round and flat
- Salt (table salt)
- Uniball signo gel pen
This beginner painting lesson is available in two formats:
- The video lesson explains and demonstrates each step of the painting process. Easy to follow!
- The printable pdf – is a step by step tutorial with photos. Convenient and inexpensive!
In the video painting lesson:
- Learn several watercolor techniques
- 10 step, easy to follow 17 minute video lesson
- Listen and/or read the easy to follow instructions, watch a video demonstrations of each step
- Great for watercolor beginners
Click here to purchase access to the Birch Forest Online Video Lesson.
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For more beginner painting lessons visit my website eileenmckenna.com/shop
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mycreativeresolution.com 
Oh wow this looks like a great idea! Yes the tape is a good idea! Wow I need to remember this.
Let me know if you try it. I’d love to see!
I painted my trees but I will be repainting it. I will upload it to my blog next week and I will remind you. Oh I post every Friday 6 am pacific time.
That is so great – I can’t wait to see!
thanks so much for the idea! I had fun and now have a great idea for painting illustrations for my book. I will be painting this again next week and posting my experience on my blog. I post Friday at 6 am pacific.
You are so welcome! I’m glad you tried it and that it sparked more ideas. I can’t wait to see!
Hi Eileen,
beautiful pictures.
Thanks Ben!
Looks like fun and easy…think I’ll try it….thanks🎨🎨
Great, let me know how it goes!
Hi!
I work at a public library and was wondering if we could use this tutorial for a watercolor paint night in July. The event is free. I’d be happy to post pictures when we’re done!
I would love that! That makes me so happy to hear. Where are you located? I’m in NY. Please let me know how it goes!
Here are a few other tutorial links you may be interested in: https://mycreativeresolution.com/2018/06/06/how-to-paint-the-ocean-with-watercolor-and-gouache/
I’m teaching a kids camp doing a 12” version of this project: https://mycreativeresolution.com/2017/05/17/beach-diorama/
Wonderful, thank you!! We are located in central IL. Thank you for the other links! That beach diorama is amazing!! I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes 🙂
Here are the results! Thanks again!
Everyone’s project came out great and they look like it was a fun time! Thanks for sending the link. 😀
I’m confused about when to take the tape off. Step 5 implies the tape is off because you’re adding brush strokes to the tree trunks. But it doesn’t say to Take the tape for until step 8. Can you clarify? I want to do this!
Yes! Let me reread…
Candy thanks so much for pointing out my error – step 5 was definitely out of order! I rearranged and hope it makes more sense now. Thanks again 🙂
Hello,
I am going to paint this wonderful painting with my staff and residents tomorrow at the nursing home where I work at. I am volunteering to help them become wonderful artists. A lot of them are looking foward to it. Ill send you the results of their paintings.
Thank you,
Timothy Fulton
Housekeeper at StoneRidge Health Care
Timothy that is awesome! I can’t wait to hear how the experience turns out! I added a much needed note about taping down the paper to the post. Have fun!