A step-by-step Tuscan sketchbook scene in loose watercolour
View from our bedroom window, Tuscany, Italy Last month I spent a week teaching a small group in Tuscany, and the landscape was nothing short of magical. Autumn had arrived in full colour—the brightest ochres, russets, and deep greens I’ve ever seen—and the light swung between soft, golden sunshine and a hazy glow drifting from cosy fires, sometimes with storm clouds rolling in behind the hills. For a watercolour artist, it was a dream. The region is endlessly inspiring and incredibly sketchable. We had five full days dedicated to painting, and although that sounds like a long time, the hours absolutely flew past. Sketchbooks filled quickly, and I came home with a long list of scenes I still want to paint. Today’s step-by-step lesson is one of those: the view from our bedroom window. Why this Tuscan scene makes the perfect sketchbook study I’ve chosen to work on this as a loose sketch rather than a polished studio painting—the same approach I’d use if I were painting on location. This ...
