Riga, Latvia in Watercolor: A Limited Palette Cityscape Painting
You don’t need 20 colors to paint a convincing watercolor cityscape. For this Riga street scene, I used just two Schmincke Super Granulating colors—Tundra Violet and Desert Yellow—to create the architecture, shadows, warm light and textured cobblestones.
Going to the art supply store can feel like walking into a candy shop where everything costs $14.99 and every candy claims it’s “essential.”
Original painting and fine art prints available HERE
What colors do I choose? Why are there so many colors? Why do I suddenly feel emotionally attached to a tube called “Shadow Violet”? AAAHHH! Help!
This is exactly why I’m a broken record in my weekly classes: limited palette = more wins. When you work with a small group of colors that play nicely together, your painting gets cleaner, your decisions get simpler, and your results get more consistent. It’s like cooking: you don’t throw every spice you own into the pot and hope it becomes a Michelin experience.
Of course… I stink at cooking. Absolutely no creativity in the kitchen. If I owned “Titanium White,” I’d probably try to season chicken with it.
For an in-depth review of Tundra Violet, check out my review on YouTube:
Why Two Colors Works (Especially for Old Town Riga)
Old Town Riga has that gorgeous lived-in look—aged stone, weathered plaster, cobblestones, soft grime, and a kind of historic texture you cannot fake with flat paint. That’s why I grabbed super granulating colors for this street scene: they naturally create broken, gritty textures that feel like old architecture without you having to paint every brick (because life is short and your brush deserves better).
After a quick color study, I landed on two Schmincke super granulators:
- Tundra Violet — moody, textured, perfect for shadow shapes, rooflines, and that “old world patina” feeling.
- Desert Yellow — warm light, sunlit walls, cobblestones, and those golden highlights that make a street scene feel inviting instead of… haunted.
Two colors. That’s it. No rainbow. No panic. No “I’ll just add one more pigment” (famous last words).
The Goal: Suggest Detail, Don’t Chase It
If you’ve ever tried to paint a European city street and ended up with a page of tiny windows that look like keyboard keys, here’s the reset:
You’re not painting every detail. You’re painting the impression of detail.
Cityscapes work when you nail:
- Big value shapes (light, mid, dark)
- Perspective cues (converging lines and spacing)
- A few sharp accents (strategic, not everywhere)
- Texture variety (hello, granulation)
Everything else is optional.
How I Painted This (Step-by-Step)
1) Quick value plan (30 seconds that saves 30 minutes)
Before paint hits paper, decide:
- Where’s the light coming from?
- What’s the main dark shape? (usually doorways, deep windows, under-eaves)
- Where do you want the viewer’s eye to land? (one focal area)
A limited palette works best when your values are doing the heavy lifting.
2) First wash: establish the “light story”
I start with Desert Yellow diluted and loose—big shapes only:
- sunlit walls
- warm street/cobblestones
- light areas that will stay breathable
Keep edges soft and let the paint mingle. Granulating colors love a little freedom.
3) Drop-in Tundra Violet while things are damp (texture magic)
This is where the fun starts:
- Drop Tundra Violet into damp areas for soft shadow transitions
- Let it bloom and separate—don’t “fix” it to death
- Tilt the paper a bit so gravity helps create natural streaks and runs
That broken texture instantly reads as stone, aging plaster, and uneven street surfaces.
4) Dry stage: build structure with confident strokes
When the page is mostly dry, I come back with thicker mixes:
- rooflines
- window groupings (not individual windows everywhere)
- poles, signs, and a few crisp verticals to “snap” the scene into place
Pro tip: one crisp edge makes ten soft edges look intentional.
5) The “few accents” rule
You only need a handful of sharp dark notes:
- a doorway
- a couple windows near the focal area
- a figure silhouette or two (optional, but great for scale)
If everything is a focal point, nothing is.
Why I Love Super Granulators for Cityscapes
These paints do so much work for you:
- natural texture = stone/cobblestone illusion
- color separation = visual complexity without over-detailing
- happy accidents = the good kind of chaos
And since you’re only using two colors, the whole painting stays unified—no weird “random green window” moments.
Watch the Time-Lapse
Here’s the time-lapse video of me painting this Riga street scene in the studio. Hopefully it gives you a few ideas for simplifying a complex Eastern European cityscape without losing the charm.
Purchase Schmincke Super Granulating Colors & Other Supplies Online:
Tundra Violet
https://amzn.to/4hJ99cy
Desert Yellow (Desert Set)
https://amzn.to/4sXrbwZ
Richeson Silver Velvet #6
https://amzn.to/47zKi6e
Richeson Silver Velvet #2
https://amzn.to/4etFrFR
Harmony Squirrel Mop #6 Brush:
https://amzn.to/4exVN0k
Arches 140 lb Cold Press 11×14 Block
https://amzn.to/3ZSLu27
The original painting and fine art giclees are available online:
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Ryan Fox AWS, NWS, TWSA
Ryan Fox Painting
(919) 645-8345