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Step-by-Step Background Painting with Watercolor Pencils

Watch a background painting with watercolor pencils take shape, step-by-step. Using watercolor pencils to create a background allows us to achieve smooth, subtle effects simply and quickly.

You can create a picture entirely with watercolour pencils, as shown in this mini tutorial, or use them for the background and add details with dry coloured pencils.

Scottish Hillside Scene - A step-by-step aquarelle background

During a workshop at Knuston Hall, Peter demonstrated how to paint a  background using watercolor pencils, documenting the process with photos and later developing the piece further.

Peter painted this picture from memory, without a photo reference, and composed it as he went. Now, let's hear the story behind it in his own words.

For this project I started with ...

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Step 1 - Prepare Your Watercolor Pencil Pigments

Begin by scribbling your chosen pencils onto rough watercolor paper. Then moisten those patches, allowing them to be lifted with a brush and mixed with water to create thin, pale washes.

It's best to prepare more pigment than needed, as you'll use very little and it's easier to make excess than to recreate a colour later.

Photo of the aquarelle paletteThe 'palette' of aquarelle pigments

Step 2 - Applying First Washes with Watercolor Pencils

I apply thin layers of colour wash to dampened, stretched paper, allowing the colour to flow smoothly over the surface. Since the actual colour is very thin, multiple layers are often needed to build a soft background effect.

Want to know how to stretch watercolor paper?

Keep in mind that watercolour appears darker when wet than it will when dry.

I began painting the hills without a plan, leaving the unpainted white areas to potentially become a road or stream as the picture evolves. For the sky, I started with two layers of pale blue, derived from a darker, purplish ultramarine.

Initial pale washes for the background of the artworkThe initial pale washes of colour

Although the photo quality isn't ideal, you can still see how each thin layer of colour builds on the previous one, allowing for total control over the graded colour.

Close up of the background washes

To give you a clearer view, here's a scaled-up portion of the washes with adjusted colours.

Creating the illusion of hills in the background of the painting

Step 3 - Develop the Watercolour Pencil Washes

I've developed the colour washes, defining the left-hand hills as mountains and adding a darker line of hills on the right.

As I progress, I make decisions on background details on the fly.

The next step was to add shadows along the road and stream edge. Although the overall subject is still unclear, the hillsides are taking on a Scottish feel, with warmer, golden colours emerging in the foreground.

Continuing to build up the aquarelle background

Step 4 - Adding features and contrast

I added more ochre washes to the green, then stepped back to reassess the picture.

I've since introduced Highland cattle on the right and trees in the middle distance.

To create contrast, I applied darker shading to the left-hand side of the high ground in the distance. I've also decided to replace the road in the foreground with a stream, which will add more interest to the scene.

Adding highland cattle to our pictureAdding Highland cattle into the scene

Step 5 - Adding water to the dry pencil

I applied a damp brush to the dry pencil areas, to intensify the colors in the background.

Next, I added more green shading to the grazing areas and distant lower ground, but I'm not convinced it's an improvement. I'll correct this once I decide on my next step.

Strengthening the color depth in our paintingBuilding up the colours

Step 6 - Adjusting the composition

I experimented with adding trees on either side, but it was a mistake.

The additions overpowered the subtle hills on the right, disrupting the picture's balance. Despite my best efforts to correct it, I ultimately abandoned the piece.

However, it still serves its original purpose: demonstrating the use of underpainting to create a watercolor background. The composition issues were entirely my own doing.

The finished Scottish scene with an aquarelle backgroundThe painting was not a success but it does illustrate the technique

What did I learn from this background painting?

The moral of the story is clear: starting with a reasonable composition is better than working without a guide. You can always make changes, but working blind can lead to disappointing results.

This exercise, however, demonstrates how to build a background by layering watercolor pencil washes.

Starting with a reasonable composition makes the process smoother, especially when creating subtle, scenic backgrounds.


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