The BeckerArt 3-Step

In the last 2 years I have become aware of a process that I do every time I do a painting and as an Instructor I have tried to simplify this way of approaching a painting to teach students a step by step way to paint their watercolor painting.

Every painting I do I start with planning a value sketch and determining the large black and white pattern and assigning the medium value to either the black or white part of the pattern. I then pencil in the line onto the watercolor paper. After that is accomplished I start painting and I then use the BeckerArt 3-step process to paint the scene. Every painting I use this 3 step process no matter what the subject matter. I use the 3 steps in my demos, my plein-air and studio paintings.

STEP ONE
Paint all the light values while establishing a color scheme. 

Start with painting all the largest light parts of the painting down to smaller parts. This does not include small details. 
Establish the color palette scheme in this first step.


STEP TWO
Paint the large area medium and dark value washes. 

Sometimes the steps 1 and 2 will combine as will steps 2 and 3. It helps to break down the steps to simplify the large washes and be able to create beautiful watercolor looking washes.


STEP THREE
Paint the dark and light details to finish

This is when the painting all comes together and the details of objects start taking shape and the painting is in it's finishing stages.


 Remember that sometimes stages can also run into each other... for instance step 2 and step 3 can have large middle tones and dark tones and also start into some of the details.

Plymouth Arts Center, W/C workshop, Plymouth, WI July 13th and 14th
Thousand Island Art Center, W/C, Clayton, NY July 19th, 20th 21st

Grand Marais Plein-Air, Mini-Workshop Grand Marais, MN Sept 18th
Dillman's, gouache/watercolor, Lac du Flambeau, WI Sept 24th to the 28th

Sangamon Watercolor Society, W/C workshop, Springfield, IL Oct 6th - 9th
For more info on these workshops please email me

Click image below to download the reference photo for this week's paint-a-long