How To Create A Stunning Watercolour Window Box With Flowers

To create a window box in the painting, start by drawing a six-centimeter line across the bottom, then make a rectangular shape by going up about seven centimeters on either side. Create a fluted window box shape at the bottom. At the top, use a compass to draw a nice curved arch for the window.

For the detail on the inside of the window panes, freehand thin sliver lines a little bit on either side of the central point, creating the shape of the window panes. If desired, you can use the compass set slightly lower on the central point to get a small curved line that gives the impression of the window recess inside the wall.

To suggest the brickwork around the window, use a size 2 brush to create brick shapes with dilute shadow mix from burnt sienna and Payne's gray, along with buff titanium. Paint very gently so as to not overpower the flowers in the window box. The bricks should be large stone ones, quite diluted, and should be painted in to fade away, giving the illusion of brickwork without being too heavy or detailed.

For the illusion of arched brickwork around the window, paint tapered bricks with a small brush starting from the central top and going out to the sides. Use a compass to make slightly larger circles for guidelines, and paint the stones with different widths, wider at the top than at the bottom, to create the tapered effect.

Use a combination of sap green, green gold, and cadmium yellow to paint the leaves and stems of the geraniums in the window box. Start with lighter tones, then build up darker colors with the paint drying slightly. Paint the flowers with a mix of cadmium red and permanent rose to create clusters of dots representing geranium flowers.

The effect of a shadow on the wall from an external tree is created by painting a larger shadow cast over the wall and window box with dilute Payne's gray. Use different sizes of brushes to paint lines and leaves suggesting a branch or tree reflecting off the window and casting a shadow over the scene.

To add texture to the window panes, use a very diluted mix of shadowy color, probably with a touch of burnt sienna, and dry brush it over the window panes to represent the wooden texture. To give depth and realism, add shadows to various parts of the painting, such as under the window box or specific areas hit by light differently, thus completing the sunny and shadowy effect on the window box scene.