Painting landscapes with watercolors is one of my favorite ways to capture beautiful places and memorable moments. This time, I decided to paint an amazing view of Big Bear Lake, California, with its beautiful mountains, pine trees, and blue lake on a sunny day. Usually, I prefer sketching on smaller formats like A6, but this time I wanted to challenge myself with a larger A4 format. I also chose my 24-color watercolor set to give myself more freedom to experiment with different shades and color combinations. It was a fun and exciting experience, and I’m happy to share how I painted this watercolor landscape in just four steps.
If you missed my recent post about evening sketches, you can find it here.
See my watercolor set here.
Painting the Sky and Mountains
I started by capturing the beautiful blue sky and distant mountains. It was a sunny day, and all the colors looked bright and vibrant. First, I wet the cotton watercolor paper with clean water and waited a couple of minutes to let it absorb some moisture. Then, I applied blue watercolor to create a soft sky, allowing the paint to spread naturally across the wet surface. After waiting a few moments, I added blue shades to the distant mountains, keeping their shapes soft and slightly blurry. This wet-on-wet technique helped me create a gentle atmosphere and a beautiful background for the landscape.
Adding Layers
Next, I continued building the landscape by adding more layers to the mountains, distant trees, shoreline, and lake. I used different shades of blue and turquoise to create depth and separate the mountains from the forest below. I also left lighter areas on the mountains to capture the snowy trails where people enjoy skiing and snowboarding during winter. For the lake, I chose a brighter blue to make it stand out against the surrounding greenery. At this stage, the landscape started taking shape, and I could already see how the different elements worked together.
Creating Depth
At this step, I focused on adding more depth and contrast to the landscape. I used darker emerald green tones to define the forest covering the mountains and make the distant trees more visible. Then, I painted the nearest layer of trees with warmer green shades to create a beautiful contrast between the background and foreground. I tried to keep the shapes loose and expressive rather than painting every tiny detail. Working with different shades of green was especially enjoyable because it made the landscape look richer, more colorful, and full of life.
Foreground Pine Trees and Final Details
Finally, I added the large pine trees in the foreground to complete the composition and create a stronger sense of depth. I wanted to show which trees were closer to us and which were farther away, so I used darker colors and more defined shapes for the nearest trees. Careful brushwork on their branches and silhouettes added small details to make them recognizable without losing the expressive watercolor style. I also played with light and shadows, leaving some areas brighter while making others darker. These final touches helped bring the whole landscape together and made the painting feel more dimensional and atmospheric.
Painting this beautiful Big Bear Lake landscape was a wonderful experience and a fun challenge for me. Working on an A4 format provided more space than my usual A6. This extra space let me experiment with colors, watercolor techniques, and details. I especially enjoyed creating depth through different layers and shades of green while keeping the painting loose and expressive. This experience reminded me that sometimes it’s good to step outside your comfort zone and try something different. If you enjoy watercolor painting, grab your favorite watercolor set. Choose a beautiful landscape and try these four steps. You might be surprised by what you can create.
