The first step is to sketch out the image. Once you have the lines in place, lighten them back a little with an eraser so that your ink lines are encouraged to be more fluid. I like to use a Derwent shaped eraser.

1. Start from the left-hand side of the image and add the ink lines. Remember to work fairly quickly as this will keep the lines loose and give the overall painting more life.

2. You may need to use a ruler to make sure that your perspectives are on track across the image. If you do, try to keep your lines natural and just use the ruler as a guide before you draw the lines freehand.

Once you’re happy with the initial pen lines, start working back into the drawing. I started from the left-hand side again. Notice the dark areas – the timber frame, the doorways, the windowpanes and the shadows between the bricks.

1. Work across the full image then take a step back to see what needs tidying up. Firm up some of the corners where the roofs meet the dormer windows, block out some of the doorway shadows so no white paper can be seen and use the ink pen to define some of the roof tiles. Notice how the roof tiles are more defined from some angles than others – use these to show the angles and curves of the roofs.

2. Use a variety of techniques on different areas of the building. Concentrate on blocking in the timber frame at the end of the building, making it look solid and neat. Use a rendering technique to pull out some of the shadows further, adding another, slightly less dense dimension. Don’t be too heavy handed on this otherwise you could lose the fluidity of the image. Where there are plants and foliage, be very loose with your lines and almost ‘scribbly’.

3. Once you’re completely happy with the ink lines, you can start to add watercolour.

1. For the roof, use a very washed down Payne’s grey bluish with a tiny touch of yellow ochre. Block out the main roof, the dormers and the roofs over the porchways and bay windows. If the wash is a little uneven, it will add to the character of the building.

2. For the pavement, use manganese violet washed down with a little Payne’s grey bluish. You may have noticed that for tarmac or slate I always use a violet rather than a grey. The violet is so much warmer and more interesting, and always gives the impression that the sun is shining.

For the grass and foliage, start with a wash using cobalt green dark and work across all the foliage on the image. Remember to keep the wash very watery and quite loose so it doesn’t feel too solid.

Now fill in the sky starting with a very pale wash. Use ultramarine finest washed down with lots of water, mixed with a touch of cobalt turquoise. Once the initial wash is dry, you can add to this if you want to make it more blue. I felt my painting was looking a little dull so I used the sky to brighten it up a bit, but you may prefer a more muted sky – it’s up to you!

1. At the moment we have quite a pale and slightly sugary looking painting so now we need to add depth and shadows. Create a wash using Payne’s grey bluish then, for the building shadows, add a touch of the yellow ochre to it – and for the foliage shadows, add a little cobalt green dark. By always adding touches of the other colours into our washes, we create a very cohesive final image.

2. Try to be fluid and loose with the shadows. I know this can be quite hard as you’re adding a dark colour and there’s always a worry that you’re adding too much. If it goes wrong, you can always dab off the excess paint very gently with kitchen roll or add more water to lift it off and take you back to the lighter colours. Try to be confident with your strokes.

1. Use a mix of burnt umber with a tiny touch of yellow ochre to pull out some of the brick work on the side wall under the timber frame. Also take notice of the garden wall on the front left of the image. Start defining some of the bricks here, too.

2. Now that your initial grass wash is dry, decide whether you’re happy as it is or if you want to add a little more depth. If so, use olive green yellowish and May green together. Use a slightly thicker wash for the grass against the wall and the foliage in front of the cottages.

To start adding the finishing touches, paint individual brick shapes with yellow ochre. Try not to be too neat here. Don’t concentrate on slowly adding one brick at a time, but use a dabbing motion with your brush, building up texture with individual marks.

1. The next step is to add the daffodils. Use cadmium yellow bright to add in the bright pops of colour next to the garden wall. I think if I were to paint this again, I’d add yellow daffodils all along the bottom of the cottages. This photograph was taken right at the beginning of spring so there’s not an awful lot of colour. Feel free to add as many flowers as you like.

2. Add the grey slates under the windows using Payne’s grey bluish. I found this added an extra dimension and really seemed to finish off the image.

3. Finally, look across the image and check you’ve added definition where it’s needed. Yellow ochre is a useful shade for defining the Cotswold stone, without adding any really dark shadows. Use it slightly thicker than you have been and see this as your finishing touch. Try to be quite expressive with your brushstrokes.

Paint a French village scene in line and wash with Neil Meacher

Discover buildings in pen and ink with J G Garratt