Ah, Italy! I was there exactly one year ago, and I wish I was there right now! At least we can dream.
My new Skillshare class is all about simplifying a classic Italian village scene. Go here to preview the class and get a free trial on Skillshare, which is more than enough time to travel the world (virtually, anyway) and improve your sketchbook skills! Skillshare is a Netflix-style subscription site for online classes.
You can also take this class on Udemy, where you just pay for the class you want to take. I’ve bundled this one with two other travel sketching classes. Go here to check that out.
First, we’ll focus on getting the major shapes in place by measuring how they fit into the frame and how they fit next to each other.
Second, we’re going to use wet-into-wet watercolor techniques to capture the feeling of stone and tile without actually drawing every single stone and every single tile.
Third, we’re going to use wet over dry techniques to add in shadows and a few bright colors and other details.
The idea is to get the major shapes and the light and shadows right, and then to simplify everything else.
Learn these simple tricks, and you can paint all of Italy with a pen, watercolor, and a sketchbook. Just be sure to bring me along!