Your Set Up

Workshop Replay:

How to Paint Lake Reflections 


Academy members CLICK HERE to share the progress of your art and get feedback in the Community Forum.


Level of Difficulty: Intermediate

Drawing: Watch this lesson to see how I draw the composition. 

Workspace: Have everything set up so that you are ready to paint. I will paint on 8"x 10" 300 lb hot press Arches watercolor paper. You can choose to make your painting any size you want, but for this particular painting I highly recommend painting on 300 lb professional watercolor paper.

If you choose to paint on 140 lb watercolor paper be sure to stretch it beforehand so it won't buckle, warp, or wrinkle on you when you paint.

Colors I plan to use:

  • Winsor Lemon
  • Alizarin Crimson
  • Opera Rose
  • Winsor Blue (Shade red)
  • Hooker Green
  • Sepia
  • Payne's Gray

I use Winsor & Newton watercolor paints, but you don't have too. You can substitute the colors above for similar colors in your palette. They don't have to be the same colors.

Tools & Materials:

  • Tube Paint (For mixing glaze)
  • Glass
  • Round Brushes (I plan to use size: 2, 4, 6, 12)
  • Mop Brush
  • Masking Fluid
  • Scrap Paper
  • Paper Towels
  • Hair Dryer

Additional Recommendations:

When it comes time to use the glaze technique you will want to mix a large quantity of paint in a glass. (Refer to the Glaze lesson under Techniques in Watercolor Painting for Beginners to see how it's done.)

For this workshop I plan to have a hair dryer on hand to speed up the drying time between layers. I recommend you having one on hand as well.



HEPFUL TIPS: I teach the foundation to drawing in: The Fundamentals of Drawing course. The skills taught in this course prepare you for drawing your designs in the live workshops.

I also teach the foundation to watercolors in: Watercolor Painting for Beginners course, which also prepares you for painting in the live workshops. Check out this course to learn how to set up your workspace, prep your paper, and familiarize yourself with the different watercolor techniques.

👉 Going through these courses first will help tremendously when doing a workshop!