City and Countryside Landscapes in Watercolor with Alexey Kondratyev
- paint 8 landscapes: from quiet village streets to cityscapes
- learn how to create harmonious landscapes by blending nature and architecture
- you’ll develop your own approach to watercolor — with accurate drawing, thoughtful values, and expressive painting
Material: watercolor
Number of paintings: 8
Course length: 15 hours
Access: lifetime
What This Course Is About
This course is all about finding harmony between nature and the city, and how you can use watercolor to capture space, light, and mood in scenes where countryside calm, water reflections, and urban architecture all come together in one beautiful painting.
In every watercolor painting in this course, we’ll be working with layers, tone, and atmospheric perspective — all the things that help you create a sense of depth and air in your landscape. We’ll practice the main watercolor techniques: wet-on-wet, dry brush, and alla prima.
We’ll be focusing on painting landscapes — from sketching simple village buildings to capturing city architecture and even vehicles.
A special focus is on adding figures and urban objects using staffage, working with reflections, greenery, and color layering.
This course will also teach you how to analyze a reference, spot what you can simplify or highlight, and how to build a composition while keeping the right mood.
Each lesson is a brand new scene, where we go step by step through the techniques that make watercolor feel lively, whole, and full of expression.
Who this course is for:
For those who already feel confident with watercolor and want to organize their knowledge and move on to more complex landscapes
For beginners, thanks to the gradual increase in difficulty and detailed explanations of the basics
For anyone who wants to learn how to paint from life, outdoors, or using your own photo references
For artists who want to combine technical precision with lively, free painting — without losing that special atmosphere
Course Program:
Lesson 1
Hey there
In this lesson, we’ll get to know each other, and I’ll tell you what to expect from the course.
Lesson 2
My Path: From Sketching to Watercolor
Let me tell you why I picked watercolor — it’s lively, unpredictable, and honest.
I'll show you where I started, how my style changed, and how I searched for both freedom and precision.
Let’s take a peek inside my sketchbooks: you’ll see the journey from my very first urban sketches all the way to complete landscapes.
Lesson 3
Materials
In this lesson, we’ll get to know the materials you’ll need to feel comfortable working through the course.
Lesson 4
Warm Autumn in the Countryside
Lesson length — 1 hour 5 minutes
Golden leaves rustle under your feet, the sky is covered with clouds, and village houses look like they’re sinking into a sea of autumn colors. This lesson is all about mood, lightness, and lively watercolor painting without getting bogged down in too many details.
In this lesson, we’ll:
- get the hang of the wet-on-wet technique for painting clouds and find out when it really works its magic;
- check out the «scratching» technique to add some details to the foreground plants;
- be working in the alla prima technique;
- dive into the autumn palette and find out which color combos make it up — and how to capture that cozy autumn air.
Lesson 5
Summer Day in the Park
Lesson length — 1 hour 26 minutes
The park is wrapped in the shade of trees, and you can see the silhouettes of skyscrapers reflected in the pond. In this lesson, we’ll figure out how the tone and warm-cool shades of greenery change depending on the distance, so we can add depth and space to our landscape.
In this lesson, we’ll:
- get to know the summer color palette;
- practice the dry brush technique and work in the alla prima style;
- learn how to paint reflections in water and figure out how the movement and shape of your brush can make your brushstrokes more expressive;
- work with some city buildings set against nature and see how the contrast between architecture and greenery gives the landscape a modern vibe.
Lesson 6
Frosty Morning in the City
Lesson length — 2 hours 10 minutes
The air is still, there’s a haze above the buildings and a chilly light. The high-rises fade into the mist, and the tree branches sparkle with frost. We’ll learn how to mix light and form, capturing the fragility of a winter morning and the rhythm of the cityscape.
In this lesson, we’ll:
- get to know the steps and special tricks for working with backlight;
- master the «inversion» technique — a cool way to paint glowing objects against a shadowy background;
- find out which brushes work best for trees, sky, and buildings, and how to use them to create a soft, atmospheric feel;
- figure out how simplification works in architectural forms, and how the level of detail affects the sense of depth and distance.
Lesson 7
Countryside Winter
Lesson length — 1 hour 45 minutes
The sky is a clear blue, and the snow shimmers with shades of blue and soft reflections from the sunlight. It’s on days like this that you just want to pause and watch the shadows from trees, snowdrifts, and buildings fall across the fluffy snow.
In this lesson, we’ll:
- figure out which color combos work best for capturing winter light, shadows, and that frosty air feeling;
- get the hang of painting snowdrifts, reflections, and those subtle shifts of light and shadow;
- figure out how and when to work on the details so we don’t overload the painting;
- learn how to use watercolor painting and a brush to show textures and subtle details.
Lesson 8
Common Landscape Mistakes: Linear and Atmospheric Perspective
In this lesson, we’ll chat about the most common mistakes people make with linear and atmospheric perspective, and we’ll break down the errors that keep a landscape from looking complete.
Lesson 9
Village Holidays
Lesson length — 2 hours 5 minutes
A cozy village in the height of summer. The air is filled with the scent of grass, crickets are chirping somewhere, birds are singing, and the silence almost feels like you can hear it. Walking through a village like this is like taking a trip back to a warm childhood.
In this lesson, we’ll:
- learn how to paint village houses in perspective so we don’t end up with distorted or wobbly lines;
- figure out at which stage and where it’s best to use wet-on-wet and dry techniques, so your landscape pops with texture and lively transitions;
- get the hang of layering techniques to show light and shadow;
- talk about brushes and what they can do: which shapes and stiffness work best for painting tree canopies and foliage.
Lesson 10
Sunlit Rooftops in Gorodets
Lesson length — 2 hours
In this lesson, we’ll learn how to create a striking mood in a landscape using color, light, and smart composition.
In this lesson, we’ll:
- find out how to change and improve a composition when working with a reference;
- get to know what «tonal contrast» means and see how it helps make your painting feel deeper;
- find out how warm and cool shades affect the way we see objects;
- figure out how atmospheric perspective changes the color of objects, especially when we’re working with distant backgrounds and water surfaces.
Lesson 11
Quiet Kolokolnikov Lane
Lesson length — 2 hours 5 minutes
A narrow lane, cars parked in the quiet, and the warm air barely stirs the leaves. This lesson is all about capturing the calm of a city scene, keeping the light lively, and creating a striking yet easygoing composition.
In this lesson, we’ll:
- find out how tonal analysis affects composition and the order of work: from the background to the foreground, from light to shadow;
- learn how to simplify the secondary elements, leave out the unnecessary stuff from the reference, and really highlight the important details;
- break down a simple way to paint a car from two different angles, so you can easily add vehicles to your cityscapes;
- practice step-by-step work with shape and color, using tone and light to show depth.
Lesson 12
Ivanovskaya Hill in Spring
Lesson length — 2 hours 26 minutes
Spring is just starting to take over — you can really feel the movement, the sense of renewal, and that lightness in the air. Ivanovskaya Hill is a little piece of history with some truly elegant architecture. In places like this, you want to notice all the little details without losing the overall vibe.
In this lesson, we’ll:
- figure out how simplifying and highlighting details can change the mood and unity of your painting;
- get to know the step-by-step process for tackling complex architecture — from the big picture down to the details;
- get the hang of some brush techniques for painting tree trunks and branches;
- learn how to use the staffage technique to bring your scene to life.
Lesson 13
Conclusion
Our course on city and countryside watercolor landscapes is coming to an end — let’s wrap things up and hear some words of encouragement for your future creative wins!
InstructorAlexey Kondratyev
- Watercolor artist with an art and teaching background
- I’ve been teaching for over 20 years now
- Since 2019, I’ve been really into painting urban scenes: in the summer, I paint outdoors from life, and in the winter, I do still lifes in the studio or work from my own photo references.
- Active member of the Urban Sketchers movement and the «Artists of Chertanovo» community
- Participant in numerous exhibitions
Teacher’s artworks
Plans
- 8 landscapes: from cozy village streets to urban scenes
- 13 lessons: theory + practice + artistic tips
- «Course freeze/unfreeze» — the option to start learning at a convenient time
- Access to watch artwork reviews of other participants
- Lifetime access to all course materials
- Review of your artworks for 60 days
- One-hour personal online consultation with the course expert
- +20 bonus dollars! Can be used when purchasing a course at the next marathon. Valid for 3 months
- 8 landscapes: from cozy village streets to urban scenes
- 13 lessons: theory + practice + artistic tips
- «Course freeze/unfreeze» — the option to start learning at a convenient time
- Access to watch artwork reviews of other participants
- Lifetime access to all course materials
- Review of your artworks for 60 days
- One-hour personal online consultation with the course expert
- +20 bonus dollars! Can be used when purchasing a course at the next marathon. Valid for 3 months
- 8 landscapes: from cozy village streets to urban scenes
- 13 lessons: theory + practice + artistic tips
- «Course freeze/unfreeze» — the option to start learning at a convenient time
- Access to watch artwork reviews of other participants
- Lifetime access to all course materials
- Review of your artworks for 60 days
- One-hour personal online consultation with the course expert
- +20 bonus dollars! Can be used when purchasing a course at the next marathon. Valid for 3 months
Frequently Asked Questions
- I have no idea how to paint at all. Should I even take this course?
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Of course it’s worth it! The course is set up so you start with easy paintings and then move on to more challenging ones, so you’ll have plenty of time to get into the groove and reach awesome results!
This course will be useful for experienced artists too. You’ll get to practice your technique even more and expand your visual library.
- How does feedback work?
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At the end of the lesson, you’ll upload a photo of your artwork. The teacher can leave you a text comment, draw right on your picture, or even send you an audio message.
At the bottom of each lesson, there’ll be a comment section where you can ask any questions about the course.
- How long will the course take?
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If you’re on a plan without feedback, it all depends on your own pace and how quickly you go through the lessons.
With feedback plans, we actively work through the lessons for two months from the moment you “unfreeze” the course.
Overall, I recommend taking your time with the course. Enjoy the process more.
- I'm 67 years old, will I be able to learn how to paint illustrations like these in the course?
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It's never too late to learn how to paint. In our school, 30% of students are over 50. And they’re happily painting, building their skills, growing their creative thinking, and feeling younger in spirit and mind!
