Watercolor Painting Tutorial: Painting a desert landscape with a cloudy sky and mountains.

"Sonoran Mist" by Bruce Black, 2023. Watercolor on paper.

Discover the art of painting a captivating desert landscape with a stunning cloudy sky and majestic mountains in this watercolor tutorial. This painting lesson expands upon the painting exercises outlined in my previous post, which covered techniques for creating a wash, rendering clouds, and painting trees. In this watercolor demonstration, students will apply these acquired skills to create a simple desert landscape featuring a cloudy sky, distant purple mountains, and a foreground tree. In case you missed it, you can find the 1st watercolor lesson HERE.  

Following this painting unit, my students will embark on their final watercolor painting project. In this project, they will put into practice what they have learned and incorporate a pen and ink drawing of a boat. The inclusion of pen and ink will assist them in adding finer details while allowing them to focus their watercolor application on the broader areas of the painting. The results are typically impressive, and I will be sharing this lesson in the near future.

For Art Teachers 

This lesson plan usually takes about four to five one hour class periods.  I set up an easel at the front of the class and demonstrate each section for them.  I paint, then they paint.  I also discuss the following watercolor painting vocabulary:
Wash: In watercolor painting, a "wash" refers to a thin, transparent layer of diluted paint applied to create a smooth, even tone or background color.  Washes often begin with an initial layer of clear water painted onto the paper.
Drybrush: "Dry brush" refers to a technique where an artist uses a brush with very little water or paint to create textured and fine details, often by applying the brush with a light touch over dry or partially dry paper. This technique produces a scratchy, broken, or stippled effect, adding texture and definition to the artwork.
Wet into wet: In watercolor, this technique refers to when you paint in an area and then add color that area before it dries.  This method allows blending to occur on the paper and creates soft edges. 
Wet into dry: This watercolor technique refers to when the artist paints directly onto the dry paper or over an area of the painting that has already dried completely.  This process creates hard edges. 
Value: Value plays a pivotal role in landscape painting, shaping the visual hierarchy. Generally, the sky holds the lightest value, followed by flat land areas, while mountains assume a mid-value. Vertical elements like trees are the darkest. However, manmade structures, like houses, silos, or barns, may diverge from these rules, influenced by their color and shape. For instance, a distant white house can appear as an exceptionally light value.
Shape: Creating interesting shapes is also critical for a good landscape painting.  All your largest areas are essentially broken down into shapes first.  The mountains should have unpredictable undulations and the trees should have natural varied shapes.  

Examples of student watercolor paintings.

Watercolor Tutorial Lesson

​Supplies: For this lesson, you will need the following: 140 lb watercolor paper, masking tape, a pencil, a watercolor brush (a #12 or #14 round and flat will work great), a cup of water, paper towels, watercolor paints with a mixing tray, and a hardboard to tape your paper onto.

​Preparation: Tape your paper to your board by taping all the edges around. This will help ensure that the paper dries flat. Do not remove the tape until your entire painting is complete and dry. Also, add a few drops of water to your trays of watercolors to soften them up.

Watercolor Tutorial Lesson: Part 1

1. Begin by using your pencil to draw a simple contour line drawing of a landscape with jagged mountains and rocky outcroppings in the front. Add a tree shape to that rocky outcropping. A key note: Ensure that your mountain ridge extends only about a quarter of the way down your page. The focus of this painting will primarily be on the sky. Also, position your tree above the mountain range. Art Teachers: I usually create a simple drawing and print it out for my students to copy.
2. Now, let's start painting our sky. First, mix some colors in your tray. I used a bit of cadmium yellow light mixed with yellow ochre to achieve the yellow in the sky. You can also use just yellow ochre. Additionally, mix up a darker cloud color by combining ultramarine blue, a touch of black, and a hint of burnt umber brown. Payne’s gray is also an excellent choice for a cloud color on its own.
3. Apply clean water over the entire sky area using your largest brush. It shouldn't pool up but should be sufficiently wet.
4. Before the water dries, add your yellow mixture to the lower sky portion of your painting and include a few additional strokes of yellow higher up. The yellow should blend into the previously applied water on your paper.
5. Next, before it dries, add your gray mixture to the upper parts of your painting. You can then tilt your board at an angle to allow the water to flow down, creating a rain-like appearance in the clouds.
6. Use your paper towel to mop up any puddles or unwanted drips. Allow the sky to dry.

Start with the sky

Watercolor Tutorial Lesson: Part 2

1. Now, let's paint the mountains. It's important for our mountains to be a shade or two darker than our sky. Mix red, preferably Naphthol Crimson, with ultramarine blue and a touch of burnt umber brown. The resulting mixture should resemble a dusky red-violet color.
2. Paint your mountains with this color using a wet-on-dry technique.
3. As the paint begins to dry, you may add some darker mountain shapes in the lower part of your mountains. If your mountains appear too pale, you can apply a second layer of paint, but avoid making them excessively dark or overworked.

Next, add some purple mountains.

Watercolor Tutorial Lesson: Part 3

1. Now, let's paint the desert terrain in front of the mountains, but hold off on the rocky foreground and tree.
2. Return to the color mixture you used for your mountains and add a drop or two of yellow ochre or brown. This will warm the mixture slightly. Also, add some additional water to dilute the color. We want the flat desert area to be lighter in value than the mountains but still slightly darker than the sky.
3. Paint your foreground with loose strokes of that mixture. Consider varying your strokes and adding a few darker passages to indicate shifts in the landscape.

Watercolor Tutorial Lesson: Part 4

Paint in the foreground and tree.

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1. We've reached the rocky foreground and tree! Start by applying loose strokes of yellow ochre to areas of your foreground. This will represent the dirt areas and the lightest part of the passage. Next, mix up some brown and black, or use whatever colors you prefer for your rocks. Paint these shapes in. It's okay if they bleed into the yellow ochre a bit. Then, add more black to your rock mixture on your palette and paint a few strokes on the underside of your rocks. Doing this while the rocks are still wet will allow for some shadow bloom.
2. Mix green and brown for your bushes and grass. Use the tip of your round brush to add wispy strokes of paint to indicate these features. You don't need to be overly precise, as the viewer's brain will assemble this into a rocky outcropping with plants.
3. Finally, after everything has dried, let's work on the tree. This is meant to be a Paloverde tree, which is bright green. Mix a bit of green with yellow to create a yellow-green color. Paint that color onto the trunk and leaf areas of the tree. Allow it to dry.
4. Finally, add a touch of brown to your green mixture to darken it. Carefully paint this mixture over the trunk and add some thin crisscrossing branches. Leave the upper portion of your tree bright green.

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Finished painting, "Sonoran Mist" by Bruce Black 2023

Further Practice:

For further practice, try copying this watercolor painting by the artist Winslow Homer.  Begin the same way, with a light pencil drawing.  Then, start with sky and work your way down. 
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Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was a renowned American artist known for his significant contributions to both American art and the medium of watercolor painting. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he began his career as an illustrator before transitioning to become one of the preeminent painters of the 19th century. Homer's mastery of watercolors revolutionized the medium, with his works marked by their remarkable realism, vibrant use of color, and an ability to capture the essence of nature and everyday life. His coastal and marine-themed watercolors, including iconic pieces like "The Gulf Stream" and "Breezing Up (A Fair Wind)," showcased his deep connection to the sea and an innate talent for depicting the power and beauty of the natural world. Winslow Homer's influence on American art continues to be celebrated for his pioneering achievements in watercolor painting, leaving an enduring legacy in the art world.

"Hudson River Logging" 1891-1892, Winslow Homer, National Gallery, Washington DC.

I hope you enjoyed this lesson.  You can find more of my free art lessons on this site HERE.  
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Disclaimer: The watercolor lesson plan provided in this blog article is intended solely for educational purposes. It is freely available for use and reproduction by students and teachers, with the aim of enhancing learning and creativity. However, please be advised that this lesson plan is not intended for commercial purposes or for resale in any form. Any unauthorized commercial use, reproduction for profit, or distribution for financial gain is strictly prohibited. The content and materials within the lesson plan remain the intellectual property of the author and should be used in accordance with ethical and educational guidelines. By using this lesson plan, you acknowledge and agree to adhere to these terms and conditions.