Red into Blue

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

 

Adding the color red into your sky can transform your landscape painting. It gives you this brownish gray mood which sets the tone for your scene. I forgot how effective this is when I accidentally dropped some cadmium red into my ultramarine blue sky. Also, the red can play off the red you have in your landscape, whether it is a burnt sienna or Indian red, etc.

I find this approach may give your watercolor a British or historical feel.

This is another example of how important it is to constantly experiment with your mark -making, pigment usage and paper selection. For example, I try every kind of paper I can find. Also, I use all the different surfaces from rough, hot press, soft press, cold press to illustration board.