Painting Gondola and Gondolier

Painting the gondola and gondolier is our next step.  I don’t try and paint too many details here as the figures are quite small.

I also painted a small gondola in the distance to help add more depth to the painting.

The last major step is to paint the reflections. This is done with a greenish grey mixture of a little Cobalt Turquoise, Raw Umber, French Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna. I vary the mixture as I go along so it is not all one flat color. This adds a lot more interest to your reflections.

Remember reflections should occur roughly vertically from the object they are reflecting. Because of the ripples in the water they can look a little distorted, which helps you create even more interesting reflection shapes.

Lifting paint – watercolor technique

Before the reflection dries on the RHS I lift out, with a damp brush, a little highlight to represent the reflection of the corner of the building on the RHS. You can see this in the following figure.

I also paint in the timber posts that are quite ubiquitous around Venice, as most of the boats are tied up to them.

Finished Watercolor Painting

The painting is now finished with the addition of some pigeons, TV antennas and another other little incidental detail you would like to add. Don’t overdo this however.

If you have lost some of your highlights on the gondola or the figures on the bridge you can use some Chinese White or white gauche to reclaim them.

This watercolor painting of a Venetian Canal is now done!

Should you have any questions about this demonstration or watercolor painting in general please let me know through my Contact page.