The Lake of Thun, Switzerland

A dramatic storm breaks over a lake framed by towering mountains, with a brilliant lightning bolt streaking diagonally across the roiling sky at upper center-right. Light spills from behind the clouds, illuminating the lake surface with a pale glow and casting the left mountains into deep shadow while the right cliffs glow golden-brown. The viewer's eye rises immediately to the electric sky, then travels down to the water, and finally settles on the small human figures and cargo clustered on the beach in the lower right, providing scale against the vast landscape.

The darkest darks anchor the left mountains and water shadows, creating a strong value frame. The lightest lights concentrate in the cloud break and the illuminated lake surface, with secondary brightness on the sandy shore. This creates three distinct value zones: very dark left, bright center-top, and warm-lit right side. Squinting reveals a dramatic diagonal value transition from deep shadow (left foreground) to bright center (sky and water) to warm-lit right.

• #272322

  Payne's Grey + Burnt Umber, or Prussian Blue + Burnt Sienna

  Left mountains, water shadows, darkest depths of the lake, the stormy sky's deepest passages

• #3c4740

  Prussian Blue + Ultramarine Blue + touch of Burnt Umber

  Open water in shadow, mid-tone water reflections, dark passages in the sky

• #645940

  Raw Sienna + Ultramarine Blue, or Burnt Sienna + Yellow Ochre

  Cargo on the beach, weathered wood in foreground, warm mid-tones in the rocky shore

• #8c8970

  Yellow Ochre + Ultramarine Blue + Raw Sienna

  Sandy beach, weathered rope and materials, mid-tone ground plane

• #b9b69d

  Buff Titanium + touch of Raw Sienna, or Naples Yellow + Ultramarine Blue

  Lit right-side cliff face, distant mountains in the middle distance, illuminated sand areas

• #e4e0cc

  Titanium White + touch of Buff Titanium or Raw Sienna (leave paper white where brightest)

  Cloud breaks in the sky, the lightning bolt path, brightest reflections on the water, the most brilliantly lit cloud edges

The sky is built with soft, blurred edges where clouds melt into mist and shadow—no hard lines between storm and clearing. The mountains use harder edges to define their shapes, but even these are wrapped in atmospheric haze. The lightning bolt stands as a sharp, defined accent against the soft sky. The foreground figures and cargo are handled loosely with darker accents suggesting form rather than detail, while the water surface shows subtle horizontal brushwork and soft value transitions reflecting the turbulent sky.

1. 01

   Establish the sky and storm structure

   Wet the upper two-thirds of your paper. Drop dark blue-greens and grays into the left-center sky, leaving a gap where the lightning will be. Let the darkest passage sit near upper left, then soften it into warm grays and pale creams at the cloud break (upper center-right). The transition should feel atmospheric, not painted—let colors mingle on wet paper. The very top right should be warmer and slightly lighter.

2. 02

   Define the lightning bolt

   Once the sky is just damp (not wet), carefully paint a sharp, pale diagonal line from upper center going down and to the right. This should be one confident stroke using your lightest mix. The path should not be perfectly straight—Turner's has a subtle curve. This is your focal point; protect it as you work.

3. 03

   Establish mountain masses and atmospheric perspective

   Paint the left mountains very dark (nearly black) with Payne's Grey and Prussian Blue. Keep edges soft where they meet the sky. The right mountains should be warm and lighter—a golden-brown ochre mix—and even softer at the edges, appearing to recede. Notice the middle-distance mountains between them are lighter and more muted than both. Mountains should feel rounded and massive, not angular.

4. 04

   Build the water and its reflections

   The water is predominantly dark (use your dark blue-green) in the shadowed areas left of center, but where the lightning reflects or the clouds brighten it, soften to pale creams and warm grays. Keep horizontal directional marks subtle—the water surface should feel calm yet reflect the drama above. Notice small boats are just dark silhouettes. Small patches of light-struck water should glow warmly near the shore.

5. 05

   Establish the shore and beach plane

   The sandy beach is warmer and lighter than the water—a golden ochre that feels solid underfoot. Keep it warm throughout to ground the composition. Some areas (especially left foreground) are darker with wet sand or shadow. The shore plane should tilt slightly, suggesting perspective leading into the distance. Don't make it flat or uniform; vary the value subtly.

6. 06

   Define foreground objects and figures

   The cargo (wheels, ropes, nets, barrels) on the right beach should be handled loosely with warm browns and dark accents. Figures are tiny but essential—just a few dark marks clustered around the cart. A small pale sail on a rowboat at left edge provides accent. Keep all foreground objects subordinate to the larger landscape drama; suggest form over detail. Notice the weathered wooden cart is the brightest foreground object.

7. 07

   Soften and unify the atmosphere

   Step back. The entire scene should read as wrapped in storm atmosphere. If any edge feels too sharp (except the lightning), soften it with a damp brush. The water-to-shore boundary especially should be soft. Add a few subtle pale accents where light breaks through clouds reflect brighter on water. The far shore—barely visible—should be almost imperceptible, just a hint of warm tone.

8. 08

   Final touches and atmospheric depth

   Strengthen the darkest shadows on the left (water, mountain base) if needed. Ensure the lightning remains the sharpest line. A few final warm flecks of light on the water surface nearest the shore complete the sense of breaking storm. The painting should feel atmospheric and moody throughout, with the eye drawn to the lightning and sky first, then resting on the small human-scaled drama below.

• Overworking the sky until it becomes opaque and loses atmosphere—watercolor must stay transparent and let paper glow through the storm
• Making the lightning too strong or too central; it should be a dramatic accent, not overpower the landscape's quiet melancholy
• Failing to establish atmospheric perspective—distant mountains must be paler and cooler than foreground rocks; this requires disciplined restraint
• Painting the water too uniformly dark or too detailed; it needs soft transitions and should read as a reflective surface, not texture
• Hardening edges throughout the landscape, which kills the sense of storm and mist; softness is critical to Turner's mood

beginner friendliness

value contrast

palette complexity

compositional simplicity

brushwork visibility