Lake Boat Trips 🛶🌳☀️ (Step-by-step guide - Week 31) (Patreon)

Hi!! 🤗

No houses this week, but cute little boats! Another challenge, especially to add the reflection of the boats in the water. I had lots of fun with these two illustrations so I hope you will too 🤗

You will find my tips & step by step instructions from base layer to final illustrations below, together with the materials I used!

Tips

Here are some tips for this month's references:

Focus on the main subject: In these sketches, the red houses are the main focus point in the illustration. So make sure to add more details and more contrast to these houses. You can keep everything else a bit looser.

Simplify the trees: Instead of drawing individual leaves, think of trees as large organic shapes. You can create the suggestion of leaves by adding texture with a few darker scribbles.

Keep the background soft: The mountains or distant trees don't need many details. You can use lighter colors and softer scribbles to keep them in the background. If you add too many details, you will loose depth in your illustrations.

Let the water stay simple: Use mostly horizontal strokes for the water with only a few subtle reflections. The less you do, the more convincing it looks.

Enjoy the imperfections: Loose sketches look more lively because they're not too perfect. Focus on capturing the feeling and the colors of the place rather than every tiny detail.

Floating boat

I used the following Brush pens as a base layer:

Tombow 126 (Light olive)

Tombow 133 (Chartreuse, Light green)

Ecoline 374 (Pink Beige)

Tombow 451 (Sky Blue)

Start by drawing the grass in front of the trees. Add some sand wint Pink Beige and use the same color for the trunks of the trees and the boat. Add leafs to the trees with Light Green first, and then add some shading and the darker leafs with Light Olive. You can use light green and light olive for the background as well.

Then use Sky Blue for the water and add a second layer of Pink Beige on top of the water in the front to create some shading.

For the second layer, I used the following colored pencils:

Faber-Castell 157 (Dark Indigo)

Faber-Castell 278 (Chrome Oxide Green)

Faber-Castell 283 (Burnt Siena)

Faber-Castell 120 (Ultramarine)

First Use Burnt Siena for the trunks of the trees. Draw a thicker line at the right side and a thinner line at the left. Add some shading as well. Use the same color for the sand between the grass and the lake. Use Chrome Oxide green to draw the leafs and other greenery. Use Ultramarine & Burnt Siena for some details in the water. You can add another layer with Dark Indigo to create some extra depth to the tree trunks and the shore.

Fisherman's cottage

I used the following Brush pens as a base layer:

Tombow 126 (Light olive)

Tombow 133 (Chartreuse, Light green)

Ecoline 374 (Pink Beige)

Tombow 451 (Sky Blue)

Tombow 912 (Pale Cherry)

Start bij drawing the little beach in the middle with Pink beige. Then add a little boat with Pale Cherry. Use Light Olive and Light Green for all the greenery. Make sure to leaf some white space open for the trunks of the trees. Use Sky Blue for the lake.

For the second layer, I used the following colored pencils:

Faber-Castell 157 (Dark Indigo)

Faber-Castell 278 (Chrome Oxide Green)

Faber-Castell 283 (Burnt Siena)

Faber-Castell 217 (Middle Cadmium Red)

Start by drawing the beach with Burnt Siena, use the same color to add some shading on the beach. Use Middle Cadmium red for the side of the boat. Add some details and shading with Dark Indigo. Use Chrome Oxide green for all the leafs and greenery. You can color in some spots to create some extra depth and shading. Use Burnt Siena to mark the trees and create some twigs. Use Dark Indigo to create some shading in the lake as well. For the reflection of the boat: first use Middle Cadmium red and apply it lightly on the paper. Then go over it with Dark indigo to create a shading.

Wishing you all lots of fun with this week's references! Don't hesitate to ask me any questions or to show your illustrations in the group chat 🤗

Celyn 🌸