Tile Roofs

Field of Flowers
Watercolor 9" x 12" Mats to 14" x 16"

This entry will focus on how to paint a tile roof.  This was the topic in my advanced watercolor class this past week.  I am trying to tie elements of a landscape together by focusing on specific features that may be found in a landscape.  Since Mediterranean landscapes are popular subjects now I thought I would highlight an element that might be found in one of those types of landscapes.  In the painting above, "Field of Flowers,"  the farmhouse has a tile roof.    Although the main element of the painting is not the farmhouse, a poorly done roof would spoil the painting.  The following steps should help with painting a tile roof.

Tile roofs fall into the color range known as terracotta, which can be anything from a light, sandy red to a deep orange with a splash of blue. Terracotta color is achieved by mixing several different watercolor paints together. The following watercolors are often used for tile roofs:

• Burnt Sienna

• Raw Sienna

• Burnt Umber

• Cadmium Red

• Windsor Orange

• Ultramarine

• Cobalt Blue

Note: Not all of these colors are used at the same time.

Sketch in a section of tile roof and paint using the following steps. Your choice of colors depends on the shade roof that would fit appropriately in your painting. The following colors are simply selected as a sample.

1. Wet the roof area with a round brush (a #12 works well).

2. Drop in Windsor Orange followed by Burnt Sienna.

3. Leave some areas of the roof white and/or light in color.

4. Drop in Cobalt Blue wet into wet to create an uneven, weathered effect on all tiles.

5. Continue working wet into wet; run the Cobalt Blue down the gulleys between the tiles.

6. Paint the divisions between the ridge tiles and the shadow beneath with a small round or liner brush and Burnt Umber mixed with Ultramarine.

7. Using the same brush and paint mixture, paint the tile with little half moon shapes. There is no shortcut t painting these – you must take your time.

8. Paint the vertical shadows between the tiles with a slight darker mix of Burnt Umber and Ultramarine.

9. Paint the reversed tiles under the roof which carry the water away. This step completes your tile roof.