Beginner Watercolour Landscape: Beautiful Autumn Park Scene with Light & Shadow I RAJU MORE I, by Raju More on YouTube. 18 min 54 s.
- Video length
- 18 min 54 s
- Time to do it
- 45 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Tape your paper to a board or table so it stays flat. Sketch a light horizon line and the rough shapes of the path, grass and tree trunks with a soft pencil.
Mix warm autumn colours on your palette: yellow with a little red for gold, more red for orange, and red with a touch of blue for deep brown-red.
Wet the sky area with clean water and drop in pale blue and soft warm grey. Let the paper dry until it is only slightly damp.
Paint the distant trees and background foliage with weak, soft washes. Keep edges blurred and colours lighter than the trees in front.
Block in the main tree trunks and branches with a medium brown mix. Leave gaps where sunlight will hit the bark.
Add the bright foliage in layers, starting with light yellow-gold, then orange, then deeper red. Let each layer dry before adding the next.
Paint the grass and path with warm greens and ochres. Keep the sunlit side lighter and the shaded side cooler and darker.
Add shadows under the trees and across the path with a cool blue-grey mix. Keep shadow edges soft where light fades out.
Check the contrast: darken the deepest shadows and lift small highlights with a clean damp brush or paper towel. Let the painting dry fully.
Tips and common mistakes
Test each colour mix on scrap paper before putting it on the painting.
Let layers dry completely before adding dark foliage, or the colours will turn muddy.
Keep shadows cool and blue-grey, not black, so the sunlight looks warm.
Work from light to dark and save your strongest darks for the end.
Questions
What colours do I mix for autumn leaves?
Start with yellow and add a little red for gold and orange. Add more red or a touch of blue for deep rust and brown-red.
How do I make sunlight look bright in watercolour?
Leave the sunlit areas as bare white paper or pale wash, and paint the shadows around them in cool blue-grey. The contrast does the work.
Can I do this on a small sheet?
Yes. A quarter sheet or A4 watercolour paper works well and lets you finish the scene in one sitting.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
