2 Simple Tutorials for Painting Provence in Watercolour

Here’s how to paint Provence landscapes in watercolour and find inspiration for this summer!
In this article, you’ll discover two step-by-step tutorials along with my favourite colours for painting beautiful Provençal watercolours.

In this article:

• Provençal inspirations: the Luberon, Roussillon, the Alpilles, lavender & cypress trees
• A colour palette for painting Provençal landscapes
• Tutorial: a Provençal village in watercolour
• Tutorial: a lavender field in Provence in watercolour

My inspirations for painting Provence in watercolour: the Luberon, Roussillon, the Alpilles, lavender & cypress trees

If you’ve already travelled through Provence, you probably have plenty of lovely photos to paint from. But if not, I’ve created a Pinterest board full of Provençal inspiration: Inspiration Provence.

My colour palette for painting Provençal landscapes

Here is my selection of Sennelier colours for painting landscapes such as lavender fields, Provençal villages and Southern vegetation (cypress trees, bougainvillea, olive trees, poppies, mimosa and pine forests):

Naples Yellow Deep (or Light Yellow Ochre), Venetian Red (or Burnt Sienna), Royal Blue, Olive Green, Rose Madder Lake, Chromium Oxide Green,Warm Grey, Sennelier Grey, Phthalo Turquoise, Royal Blue + Quinacridone Red, Vermilion Red, Olive Green + Payne’s Grey, Primary Yellow

Most of these colours are part of my signature palette, available here: Sennelier x Ondine de Peretti palette

Here are a few colour combinations you can create from my selection to paint lavender fields, a Provençal village, bougainvillea, mimosa or poppies.

Tutorial: a Provençal village in watercolour

As with all the landscapes I paint, the idea is to highlight distinctive, striking colours through a simple composition enhanced with details.
This minimalist style makes it easy to depict a wide variety of landscapes.

I teach this approach in both of my courses: the first is aimed at beginners learning the basics through this type of landscape, and the second is for intermediate watercolourists who want to learn how to choose a colour palette and build a composition from a photo.

This way of approaching subjects is perfect for keeping a watercolour travel sketchbook! Painting the background first and then adding a few details allows you to quickly capture an atmosphere and preserve a lovely memory of a place. If you’re interested in sketchbooks, you can read my dedicated blog article.

Provençal village in watercolour (beginner)

Colour palette (Sennelier): Naples Yellow Deep, Venetian Red, Royal Blue, Olive Green, Warm Grey, Olive Green + Payne’s Grey

Paper: 100% cotton Arches paper, 15 × 20 cm

Brushes : Princeton Neptune 1, 6 & 8

Steps 1 & 2: Arrange irregular rectangular shapes across the paper to represent the houses (Naples Yellow Deep), then use a small brush to add lines above these shapes to suggest the rooftops (Venetian Red).

Steps 3 & 4: Complete the scene with quick diagonal strokes to paint the hillside, alternating Olive Green for the vegetation and Warm Grey for the rocks. Paint the sky with Royal Blue and clean water to create soft blends and variation. Leave to dry.

Steps 5 & 6: Once the background is dry, add details: cypress trees using a mix of Olive Green and Payne’s Grey, along with doors and windows painted in Payne’s Grey.

Discover the video tutorial for more tips and to better understand how to use water and the brush: coming soon — subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don’t miss it!

Tutorial: lavender fields in Provence in watercolour

Here is a second Provençal tutorial using the same technique: a reduced, harmonious colour palette combined with bold, energetic brushstrokes. The composition is simple, painted in a single layer and enhanced with details in the focal areas.

Lavender fields in Provence in watercolour (beginner)

Colour palette (Sennelier): Naples Yellow Deep, Quinacridone Red (diluted), Venetian Red, Sennelier Grey, Quinacridone Red + Royal Blue

Paper: 100% cotton Arches paper, 15 × 20 cm

Brushes : Princeton Neptune 1, 6 & 8

Steps 1 & 2: Paint a very simple house using Naples Yellow Deep, Warm Grey and Venetian Red. The yellow section represents the lit area, imagining the sunlight coming from the left. Create small blends if you wish.

Paint the lavender fields in the foreground. Sennelier Grey represents the fields that have already been harvested, while the purple fields (Quinacridone Red + Royal Blue) represent those still in bloom.

Steps 3 & 4: Add the mountainous background and a graduated sky wash using very diluted light colours (Quinacridone Red + Royal Blue and Quinacridone Red).

Steps 5 & 6: Add shadows to the foreground fields using a less diluted wash of the same colour, along with details on the house: bricks and roof tiles painted with fine lines. The bricks on the lit side are painted with Venetian Red and Naples Yellow Deep to preserve the luminosity. Those in shadow are painted with Payne’s Grey and Warm Grey.

Discover the video tutorial for more tips and to better understand how to use water and the brush: coming soon — subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don’t miss it!

If you’re interested in my approach, you can try my teaching style for free with a mini-course available on my homepage. 

And if you enjoyed these step-by-step tutorials, I’ve also written two instructional books published by Hachette Pratique and Marabout. More information is available on About me page.