Step 1. Draw the House

To make my sketch of the house, I am using a picture from the internet as my reference. I decide to do the blue house, but I’m going to add a few changes to make it uniquely my own.
 
The roof is a trapezoid, so I draw it first. The house itself is a rectangle. Next, I add in the windows and the front door, using smaller rectangles and draw the chimney.

Step 2. Add the Landscape

Next, I add two potted shrubs in front and place an elongated tree on the right. At the bottom, I add a stone pathway with a few small ovals on the ground in front of the house. Then, I draw a couple of clouds in the sky. 

Now that my sketch is complete, I erase the hardness of the pencil lines so all that remains is a light outline.

Step 3. Set Up the Palette

• A163 White 
• A154 Sky Blue 
• A133 Peach 
• A138 Aegean Blue 
• A110 Ultramarine Blue 
• A137 Mauve 
• A164 Sap Green 
• A102 Lemon Yellow 
• A145 Vermilion Red 
• A128 Latte Brown 

Step 4. Paint the Large Shapes First

For all the rectangular shapes or forms that have straight edges, I prefer to use my flat brush. This gives me a nice even line and fills in the area quickly and smoothly. 

I begin with the roof with A133. For the facade of the house, I mix white with A154. I also use this hue on the front of the attic window and the chimney. I add more white to get a lighter shade of blue that I use for the clouds.

Step 5. Fill In the Exterior Details

Next, I work on filling in the flower pots next to the house with a mix of A145, white and a bit of A102. I decide to have one of the upstairs windows open with a small plant on the windowsill, so I paint a tiny pot there, using A128 mixed with a tad of white. 

I mix together A138 and A110 to paint the inside of all the windows. For the door, I give it a coat of a mixture of A137 and A133. Using A137, A110 and white, I paint the roof of the attic window. With that same shade, I place a darker shadow under the house’s roof, a shadow on the waterspout and shadows on the chimney. I paint the attic window more carefully, using the same colors that were used to paint the front of the house.

Step 6. Color Tree & Shrubbery

It’s time to work on the tree and shrubbery. I add rows and layers of A138,  A110, A164, A102 and white. Note how I’ve gone from the darkest color to the lightest. This way I will end up with bright highlights. 

Step 7. Add the Details

The details I’ll add will really make this look like a house, so I start with the window frames, painting them in white. To give them even more life, I add some open shutters. Underneath all the windows and the shutters, I use A137 for shadowing. 

On the second-floor window, I add plants to the little pot as well as in the window box below the attic window. I continue with details on the bushes, adding leaves and shadows under those pots. I detail the door.

On the ground in front of the house, I have drawn small ovals to imitate stepping stones. These I color in with A128 and to give them more volume, I place accent shadows with A137. Next, I add some details to the drainpipe that runs along the side of the house.

It’s good to take a moment and step back from your painting to see if there’s anything else you need to add or adjust. This is when I supplement with shadows and overtones, detail the roof and add even more leaves to the plants.