Live Lessons: "City Street" - Line and Wash

Line and wash cityscape drawing and painting
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This lesson series features:
4 Hours of Instruction
4 Videos

About This Lesson Series...

A four-part lesson series on combining pen and ink applications with watercolor washes. The initial sketch is laid out using a modified and quick version of perspective with graphite. Loose pen and ink applications are made over the graphite sketch. A complex scene is simplified by removing elements that would make the image too busy. Watercolor washes are added, exploiting a complementary color scheme.

Resources for this Lesson...

References

Photo Reference

Finished Result

Here's what you'll need...

  • 140 lb. coldpress watercolor paper
  • Ink pens
  • Watercolor paints
  • Graphite pencil
  • Nylon brushes
  • Water

Lesson Discussion

  1. I have just finished learning this lesson 😊 . it’s first time I can do a watercolor painting like this 😊😊 I’m happy to watch my painting for hours but I love your painting more !
    Thank you For lessons! You’re the best teacher ! 😊

  2. Love your lessons, you have a wonderful way of doing things. Your studio is better than that black curtain. Also, love hearing about your family.

  3. This is a great lesson Matt, I am an Urban Sketcher and want to improve my drawing and watercolour. This helped a lot of stuff I already know fall into place. Happy Christmas for this year 2019😄

    • Hi Nicole,

      This lesson is suitable for beginners and intermediate artists. You can do it. You have to try even the things that seem difficult.

  4. I’ve watched a number of your live lessons (only past ones) and love to listen to you wisdom, chatter and giggles. I try to follow along as best I can. I think these live lessons are wonderful because they give a true (more or less) indication of how long it can take to complete a piece. I’ve learnt to slow down and learnt to accept my result as being OK but always with room for improvement. For this Chinese streetscape I’ve roughly traced my first effort so I can repeat it, taking it to a different level – hopefully a better one than the last. After dabbling aimlessly for years my son challenged me to do a drawing everyday for one year. I accepted and after a month or so I was scratching around to find something to draw, that is until I found your website. I joined and have never regretted. I’ve been meaning to thank you as I’ve definitely improved. Tonight’s completed drawing was number 233. I haven’t missed a day so far. Some drawings have taken several days to complete, of course, otherwise I’d be close to completing 365. After each tutorial I try to complete 2-3 drawings of my own using what I learned then I’m keen to move onto something new. But I do love graphite, pen and ink, coloured pencil and ink and wash.

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