How to do a watercolor of a flamingo with reflections

Paint a Portrait of a Dog

Paint Big Fish in Watercolor

Paint a Hummingbird in Watercolor

Paint a Bunny in Watercolor

Paint Ducks in a Row in Watercolor

Paint a Row of Bird Houses in Watercolor

Paint Birds on Spring Branches in Watercolor

Paint a Watercolor Cat in a Window with a View

Paint Leaping Dogs in Watercolor

Do a Painting of a Cat on a Pumpkin

Paint an Owl in Watercolor

Do a Watercolor of a Flamingo with Reflections

Paint Cardinals in Snow in Watercolor

Paint a Cat Hiding Among Pumpkins

Paint Cats in Watercolor in a Circular Format

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This watercolor painting tutorial shows you three ways to paint reflection in water. We’ve used the same picture for all three approaches so you can easily compare results. The aim is to learn different ways of painting water so that you can either vary the way you approach it or just choose the method you like best.

Three Ways to Paint Reflections in Water

We’ve picked a picture of a windmill as the subject for this exercise because this is just that bit more interesting than a normal house, and there is the added complication of the sails with their angles to get right!

To complete the exercise you’ll need the following:

• A sheet of watercolor paper
• Pencil (for drawing the windmill, or tracing it)
• Watercolor paints
• Watercolor brush
• Water for rinsing your brush
• Clean cloth or tissue for wiping your brush

Let’s get started!

Trace the Windmill Three Times

Using a pencil, lightly draw an outline of a windmill (as shown above) onto your sheet of watercolor paper. Draw it three times in a row―because you’re going to paint three different styles of reflections―then under the left-hand windmill only draw a reflection of the windmill.

Alternatively, print out and trace the outline of the windmills from this art worksheet or, if your computer printer has waterproof ink, print it on a sheet of watercolor paper.

Now let’s select some colors.

Colors for Painting the Windmill

Paint the windmills using the colors as shown, or select your own. Don’t worry about doing anything fancy, this is just an exercise to show how things work. Each area is just filled in with a flat wash.

The colors we’ve used are:

• Sky: cerulean blue
• Foreground: cadmium yellow and cerulean blue
• Bushes: cadmium yellow and ultramarine
• Windmill sails: raw sienna
• Windmill building: burnt sienna
• Windmill door, windows, and top: burnt sienna and ultramarine

Now let’s paint the first style of reflection.

Paint the First Reflected Windmill and Leave it to Dry

Using the same colors as you did for the windmill, paint the first reflected windmill―but not the sky around it. Leave it to dry completely before painting the water.

Style 1: Painting a Simple Reflection in Water

Now you’ve got the first reflected windmill painted and it has dried, it is just a simple matter of painting the water surface. This is done by laying down a cerulean blue wash over the entire water area, going right over the reflected windmill itself as well are the reflected foreground and bushes.

This dulls the reflected windmill colors and makes them look as if they are in the water―just what you want to achieve.

Style 2: Painting a Broken or Rippled Reflection in Water

Using your same colors as before, but this time creating small horizontal strokes, paint in the reflection of the windmill and then the water. You may want to mark a few pencil dots where various parts of the windmill will be in the reflection, to act as guides.

Don’t bend your wrist as you paint these lines, or they will end up as curves rather than straight lines. Instead, hold the brush firmly and swing your whole hand gently from your elbow.

Style 3: Painting a Wet-in-Wet Reflection in Water

This technique is the least predictable but produces a very realistic result. We are going to work wet in wet, laying down the blue water first and then dropping in the windmill.

Have your paper lying flat for this technique. Lay down a wash of cerulean blue over the whole water area, and then wait for a little until this begins to dry. If you go in too soon with other colors they will spread to far and fade to nothing, and if you go in too late the paint may cause cauliflowers and back runs to form, or just not blend at all.

Our advice is to test it out by dropping in tiny amounts of ‘windmill’ paint and see what happens. If it spreads out just a bit, then that’s the right time to drop in the rest of the picture. Just touch in the windmill and allow the wet-in-wet effect to do the rest. Risky, but effective!

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Fabulous Flamingo Watercolor Step by Step Tutorial
Paint yourself a fabulous pink flamingo in this step by step watercolor tutorial.

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You Will Need

Start with a clean wet brush and paint the shape shown here. Then using a vibrant pink, starting on the right, dab on your paint and watch it bleed in to the water areas. Keep adding the pink paint on the water until you have a nicely blended area. Keep the area to the right, where the neck will be, as the darkest pink, as this will be a shaded area.

Once the body area of the flamingo is dry, you can paint the neck and head. Using the same wet on wet technique, blend the pink paint down from the head to the bottom of the neck. Try to add darker areas on the edges and keep the middle of the neck lighter, to give them impression of it being curved. You can dab off areas of paint with a tissue or kitchen paper if your paint gets a bit dark.

Once the neck is dry, using a light pink and white, paint over the whole of the beak. Once that is dry, you can then use a black paint to paint on the beak detail and the eye!

Happy Color Snack Sunday!

For this week’s tutorial, let’s sketch a flamingo bird!

The watercolor flamingo sketch just so happens to also match the similar color scheme I’ve been using in several past tutorials. And it’s still very summery and fun.

This tutorial was inspired by the Creative Bug monthly challenge with August Wren (Jennifer Orkin Lewis). The one I did for the challenge was in gouache, and I thought it would be fun to try painting a watercolor flamingo with the wet-on-wet technique.

Decorate your sketchbook or turn this into a ‘Thank You’ or ‘Just Wanna Say Hi’ card and send to your best friend.

(some of these posts may contain affiliate links, which are at no extra charge to you, but help me keep running this blog)

Quick Instructional Video for How to Paint a Watercolor Flamingo

(Recommended) Watercolor Supplies:

• • watercolors
    • colors used in this tutorial: pastel pink and pastel blue from Prima Watercolors
  • watercolor paper
  • Water brush
  • Paper towel/towel
  • Your creativity
  • A photo of a flamingo for reference

Let’s get to sketchin’!

How to Sketch a Watercolor Flamingo

Step 1. Wet the paper

Wet the watercolor paper with a thin layer of water. In this case I am using a flat brush to cover the whole area quicker.

For the wet-on-wet technique it’s important to not add too much water. You want a smooth, glazed surface, instead of paper that is dripping with water.

Step 2. Sketch the neck of the flamingo.

Start sketching the shape of the bird with pink watercolor.
The neck of the flamingo bird will resemble a hook shape. You can also pretend it is the shape of number 2 but backwards.

Step 3. Sketch flamingo’s body
To sketch the body of the bird, sketch an oval-like shape with a little tail on the left-hand side.

Step 4.Fill in the shape
I used the pastel red from the Prima Watercolors to add a little feather lines on the body of the flamingo.

Step 5.Flamingo’s legs
Sketch the legs as two lines, almost perpendicular, crossing each other.

Step 6.Sketch the beak of the flamingo

Step 7. Fill in the background

Fill in the background with a blue shade of watercolor. I am using the blue pastel here and really love the contrast between the blue water and the pink flamingo.

Painting shiny things can be a daunting prospect. After all, just look at all the tiny reflections and shadows that they cast! These types of subjects require a little more time and finesse, but they’re easier to draw and paint than you might think.

Learn the basics of painting reflections in acrylic paint with this step-by-step tutorial.

Tools for this tutorial:

When painting reflections, I find it helpful to use acrylic paint. I like this material because it can be easily thinned with water, and it also layers nicely. When it’s time to add highlights or thin shadows, you can apply the paint on top of other colors if necessary.

I’m painting a spoon on a wood surface, so my acrylic colors are minimal: black, white, yellow and burnt sienna. I’ve also included my favorite liner brush. It helps make the tiny, fine marks you see in reflections.

Step 1: Start with a detailed drawing.

My most successful paintings have come from a carefully planned drawing. Since there are so many small details when creating reflections, it’s best to have them all down on paper or canvas beforehand. A pencil is much more forgiving than paint! Think of this as your “roadmap” that we’ll use to the finished painting.

Begin with a general outline of the subject. Then, go section by section and record the shapes you see — every glimmer and shadow. Some reflections will be inside of reflections!

Tip: I break things up into smaller bits to avoid feeling overwhelmed. The head of the spoon, for instance, is one section, while the handle is another. Focus on drawing what you can see in that area before moving on to a different section

Step 2: Start painting in shapes.

The hardest part is over! As long as you’ve carefully drawn your subject, noting every shape, we’re now just filling in the blanks. Again, start at one section of your painting and work from there. I find that it’s easier to work on each small shape individually, painting its color and tone before tackling the next one. Before long, the little contour forms will begin to look cohesive. Save your highlights and fine shadows (the ones you see on the edge of the object) for later.

Notice the colors and lighting that surround your object. Are they warm lights? Cool lights? What kind of walls or tables? All of this will affect your color mixing .

Since my spoon sits on a wooden surface, its edges have a brownish-yellow tint to them. As the reflections gather in the middle of the utensil, though, they appear cooler and are affected by the white light that bounces off of them.

82 video classes by award-winning instructors. 2-4 new ones monthly. Welcome to Watercolor University.

How To Paint A Boat & Water Scene With Reflections

Preview Of Class On Boat & Water Scene With Reflections:

• How to study and sketch a wharf scene with a sailboat and forest.
• How to prepare to paint reflections on water.
• How to apply the “wet in wet” technique to a forest, a sky, and a body of water.
• How to mix primary colors with earth colors to achieve a relaxing and immersive atmosphere.
• Mixing white paint with various colors to achieve different levels of transparency within a painting.
• Mixing colors on watercolor paper to achieve ripple effects.

Paints On The Palette (Various Brands)

Watercolor Paper: Fabriano 140-pound rough watercolor paper

Brushes:

• Escoda Joseph Zbukvic Signature Series Round Brush (20)
• Escoda Joseph Zbukvic Signature Series Round Brush (12)
• Escoda Joseph Zbukvic Signature Series Round Brush (8)
• Neef Rigger Brush (6)
• Neef Rigger Brush (8)
• Neef Rigger Brush (10)
• Windsor Newton Cotman no.1 Brush

Miscellaneous:

• Mechanical pencil with 0.7 lead for sketching and tracing
• Container of clean water
• Auxiliary tray for mixing additional colors
• A towel or rag to rest brushes on
• Tissue or paper towel
• Artists’ tape

Reference Photo (Click To Enlarge)

Initial Sketch (Click to Enlarge)

Robin Erickson finds the extraordinary in the ordinary by painting window reflections using watercolor. While others dash past cityscape windows to their destinations, she watches and waits with her camera. Through those windows, she sees everyday sights: racks of clothing on display, a pizza maker plying his trade, an empty café table ready for guests. Once she glimpses the goings-on outside reflected in those windows—a couple strolling in perfect sync, a metro bus buzzing by—she knows she has a complete story to paint.

Erickson’s “love for a challenge” is what first drew her to try painting window reflections in watercolor. She believes that in our busy lives, we often pass through our surroundings without really seeing what is all around us, but that “some views are pretty magical and deserve a second look,” she says.

Look through Erickson’s storefront reflection series in the June 2017 issue of Watercolor Artist, available at northlightshop.com and on newsstands April 18.

Coffeehouse Window (watercolor on paper) by Robin Erickson India Street Reflection (watercolor on paper) by Robin Erickson 9th Avenue Door (watercolor on paper) by Robin Erickson

Paul Jackson shares how to paint the illusion of glass using watercolor:

How to Paint Water in Oils

Things You’ll Need

• Yellow, white and orange paints
• Thin paintbrush
• Broad, flat brush

Painting water is a complex task that is affected by light, surroundings and depth. Painting a realistic reflection of the sunset on a body of water is a trial-and-error procedure that requires large amounts of concentration, observation and and understanding of how water reflects light depending on clarity and surrounding objects. As you improve your skills painting reflections, you will gain a deeper understanding of what makes a realistic painting and how to further improve the look of your sunset paintings.

Shallow Water

Mix yellows and oranges into white paint to create more intense highlights. This can make the painted reflection appear as realistic and bright as the original reflection.

Use quick brushstrokes from side to side with a thin brush.

Drag the paint from darker objects energetically and quickly into lighter areas. Clean the brush, then drag the paint back from the lighter areas to the darker areas.

Create bright highlights from ripples in dark areas, and paint small dark streaks in lighter areas.

Use complementary hues and warm colors against cool colors to improve the glow of the reflection.

Gradate the colors of the reflected images in the background from lighter, cooler colors to darker in the foreground.

Keep the colors of the water warmer in tone as it is affected by rocks, sand and algae.

Deep Water

Use a larger flat brush to create broader brushwork across the surface of the water.

Stroke the brush across the water slowly to create softer edges. This will show a smother surface and reflect immediate surroundings and the color of the sky.

Give deep ocean water a darker, black-blue color.

Paint water that is closer to the viewer a darker color than the water in the distance.

Rivers and streams are more green in color. Blue-green colors tend to get darker and decrease in value as the water gets deeper.

Warnings

Don’t paint the reflection with only white, yellow or orange. Mix the colors to enhance depth and create a more realistic reflection.

References

About the Author

Megan Kelly started writing professionally in 2007 when she was published in the anthology, “Lit Kids: Mama Bird and the Electric Rabbit” through Mill City Press. She is also a submissions reviewer and grant writer for “Spout Press,” an independent magazine in Minneapolis. Kelly is pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in English literature from the University of Minnesota.

The Colorful Possibilities of Glazing with Primary Colors Only

These leaves were painted in watercolor by glazing with primary colors only. All the greens were built up glaze by glaze (or layer by layer) on the paper. No color mixing was done on a palette.

Two ‘secrets’ to successfully building up colors by glazing with watercolors are to select primary colors that have only one pigment in them, and to be patient enough to allow each glaze to dry completely before painting the next.

The leaves were painted by botanical and zoological artist Katie Lee, who kindly agreed to my using her photos for this article. Katie uses a six primary palette, comprising a warm and cold blue, yellow, and red (see: Color Theory: Warm and Cool Colors). Her paper of preference is Fabriano 300gsm hot pressed, which is a thick and very smooth watercolor paper (see: Weight of Watercolor Paper and Different Watercolor Paper Surfaces).

The Initial Watercolor Glaze

The other essential to successful glazing is a thorough knowledge of what results you’re going to get when you glaze a color on top of another, how the colors interact with one another. It’s something that can only be acquired by hand’s on practice until you’re internalized the knowledge and it becomes instinctive. (Exactly how is beyond the scope of this article, but basically paint samples, keeping careful notes of what colors you’ve used.)

This photo shows the initial glaze, and at this stage it’s hard to believe that the leaves are going to turn out as beautiful greens. But the choice of initial glaze isn’t arbitrary: it’s yellow in those parts of the leaves that will ultimately be a the ‘brightest’ green (warm green), blue in those parts that will ultimately be a ‘shadow’ (cool green), and red in those parts that will be brown.

The Second Watercolor Glaze

Isn’t is amazing what a difference a layer of paint can make? This photo shows the result of one glaze over the initial glaze, and already you can see the greens emerging. Once again, only blue, yellow, or red has been used.

Remember, if a layer of paint needs to be totally dry before you glaze over it. If it isn’t totally dry, the new glaze will merge and mix with it, ruining the effect.

Refining the Colors by Glazing

This photo shows what the leaves look like after a third and then a fourth round of glazing was done. It really does show how glazing produces colors with a depth and complexity that physical mixing of colors simply doesn’t produce.

If you want to lighten a section, such as a leaf vein, you can lift off watercolor even if it’s dried (see How To Remove Errors in a Watercolor Painting). Use a thin, stiff brush to do it, but avoid scrubbing the paper or you’ll damage the fibers. Rather leave the paint to dry then lift off some more.

Adding Detail

Once you’ve got the main colors working to your satisfaction, it’s time to add the fine details. For example, where the edge of the leaf is turning brown and the leaf veins.

Adding Shadows

The very last glaze is applied to create the shadows and darkest tones within the leaves. Once again this is done using only a primary color, it’s not glazed using a black. Remember to err on the side of caution, as it’s far easier to add another glaze than to remove one.

Knowledge of color theory will tell you what color you need to use to produce the dark tone you want. The shadows in the leaves are complex tertiary colors (grays and browns) built up through the multiple layers of primary colors.

Painting Lesson Level

Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced

Negative Painting
Wax Resist
Art Supplies

One of my favorite ways to reserve white paper in watercolor is wax resist. Wax resist keeps paint from staying on your paper. If you have a white area or an area you want sparkling texture, wax is a very useful tool. I like using wax en plein aire where masking takes too long! I don’t have to wait for wax to dry so I can continue working!
I find wax to be more effective on rougher surfaced papers.

Once wax is on the painting, it does not come off and the area will resist paint forever.

Dory, Seal Cove, Reflections on the dory using wax crayon technique.

Always make certain you want the wax to stay on the paper. Be careful where you apply wax to your painting. It cannot be completely removed with an iron and newsprint. Some always remains behind. Also, just using masking changes the surface of the paper. Wax resists gouache too. You can’t just touch up your mistakes! If you’re not sure, use masking. Masking is removable, wax is not.

Disclaimer: Jennifer Branch Gallery is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. I receive a small rebate for your entire order (starting at 4%) if you choose to purchase through Amazon. Most items can be bought multiple places and I highly recommend local art stores if you have one! Any other recommendation links I receive no compensation for.
These referrals help me support this website, and I thank you for any purchase you make through them. I will never recommend a product I have not used frequently and believe is the best tool for the purpose!

I use white birthday candles or artist wax crayons.

Don’t use regular children’s crayons since they have white pigment which looks odd after paint is applied. Instead of lovely white paper, you have a white chalky dash. If I wanted white opaque color, I would use white gouache.

Disclaimer: Jennifer Branch Gallery is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertisting fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. I receive a small rebate for your entire order (starting at 4%) if you choose to purchase through Amazon. Most items can be bought multiple places and I highly recommend local art stores if you have one! Any other recomendation links I receive no compensation for.
These referrals help me support this website, and I thank you for any purchase you make through them. I will never recommend a product I have not used frequently and believe is the best tool for the purpose!

Wax on White Paper

Example on Arches rough 140# (300 gsm) paper.

Think sparkly sunlight. The birthday candle is softer, so covers more paper and is less precise. The crayon is harder so skims the surface and misses more. I generally use the bought artist crayon, but I’ve been known to use either.

Angle your paper so the light is slanted across it so you can see where the wax is drawn. This is especially important if you’re resisting small details, such as a white porch railing.

Wax on Painted Paper

Let the underlayer (quinacridone gold) dry, then draw with the wax on.

This is a great texturing technique. If I add a little bit of wax to several layers, I can get sparkling colors shining through dense darks. Think about using this for cool gray tree limbs against dense leaves.

I prefer to use a wax crayon after a layer has completely dried. It tends to pick up a little bit of paint if you don’t. also, it tears and compresses the paper rather than gliding over the surface of the paper.

Different Papers Change Wax Resist Effect

The type of watercolor paper you choose completely changes how the wax resists the paint.

In these examples, also notice how the pressure used changes the effect as well. A light pressure misses many places. A heavy dark wash might make it almost disappear. Hard pressure on the crayon will be quite clear and sharp, especially on hot press paper.

Arches Rough Press Paper 140#

Arches Hot Press Paper 140#

On hot press paper, wax glides smoothly over the surface coating the stroke evenly. So your resist will be smoothly even with little sparkle.

I much prefer using wax resist on a rough surfaced paper. It gives a lovely sparkle that can’t be obtained any other way!

The main problem with using wax resist is it can get gimmicky if used too often or too much. Keep it for areas where it really works, not just an interesting technique to use often. Most of my paintings have a little wax resist on them, but it integrates into the painting. The wax doesn’t stand out.

I hope this helps you to learn a useful technique. Wax is almost a necessity when painting on location since it lets the artist paint broad sweeping washes without worrying about little highlights. Those highlights usually make the painting though!

I hope you try wax resist on your next painting!

Try painting tree branches in white paper with wax. Paint 1 wash and let it dry. Then resist a few more branches with wax and paint another wash. Try doing a few layers of this to get a good feel for using wax resist!

I chose a simple subject with three objects and a dark background. The salt shaker was clear, patterned glass and contained some salt. I purposefully tilted the salt to make the composition more interesting.

To paint clear glass you, like other glass, you need to look for the reflections and refractions that occur in the glass. The reflections in the salt shaker are things like the bright yellow on the lower left of the glass that occur due to the lemon. Refractions happen when something next to the glass or on the interior are bent, curved, or the color is changed due to the glass. In this painting the green of the pear can be seen through the glass, but it is distorted and the color is slightly brighter than the actual pear.

Painting glass is like working a puzzle, you paint or leave white, the small, usually abstract shapes that make up the whole. The metal lid of the salt shaker is another place to look for unusual reflected colors or highlights.

For the colors in a clear glass jar, don’t just use grays, but look for other colors that might be reflected from surrounding objects or lighting. In the salt shaker I added yellow, green and blue to areas of the glass. Some of my grays are purple tinted or blue tinted to give them some variation. The whites of the shaker and salt are the white of the paper. The smaller lines were masked out to save them, then the masked removed and the white cleaned up by matching the paint around the white area . Some of the whites were scrubbed to soften them to give them the look of a reflection.

This Salt Shaker painting is available for sale on DPW. If you would like to bid in the auction, click the link here: My Auction at Daily Paint Works

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How to paint water with watercolor paints?

While this article on how to paint water relates to how to paint with watercolors specifically most of the information also applies to all other artist’s mediums.

Whole books have been written on this subject so I shall only cover the key points here.

Watercolors are perfect for painting water due to their transparency and natural interaction with water itself. A number of watercolor painting techniques can help you create more realistic water effects. These watercolor techniques include wet on wet, wet on dry and dry brush strokes. These painting techniques apply whether you are creating landscape paintings with rivers and lakes or seascapes of the ocean.

Some of the key things to consider with your watercolor painting of water are:

Reflections

You have to get the reflections right as they convey one of the key elements of water that make it what it is; it reflects light. Not only does it reflect light from the sun and sky but also anything on water is reflected by it. These reflections are always towards the viewer, which means downwards in your painting. See photo in fig 1 for an example.

When painting an ocean scene with object floating on it such as boats. Make reflections of objects closer to the foreground larger and with more detail than reflections in the distance. In fact once boats are a long way away it is virtually impossible to see their reflection. See fig 2.

Another important area of reflection is wet sand, where there is a shallow veneer of water just covering the sand. This acts as a very nice mirror, especially when see from a distance so you should treat it as such.

One last point to do with reflections, which I have covered in another article on this site, is the fact that unlike a real mirror, which reflects images and light very accurately, reflections from water are altered in part by the color of the water itself. If the water has a slight tinge such as green or brown then this will add to the colors being reflected either darkening them if they are light colors (e.g. a white boat) or lightening them (e.g. a black boat or black rocks).

Transparency

Water is transparent; you can see through it and hence see objects in it. So what does this mean for your watercolour painting? Well when painting a beach scene, it means allowing some of the sand to show as the water gets closer to shore. This is done by lightening and warming up the mix of water and watercolor paint you use for painting the water. You do this by adding more water to the watercolor paint mixture to lighten it and adding a warmer color such as cobalt turquoise to warm it up.

If you are painting a river scene, the same applies at the edge of the water, where it merges with the bank. The colors you use will different however.

Fluidity

Water flows and you need to try and capture this.

If you are painting a scene with boats in the foreground, make sure you use lots of soft edges in the body of the reflection. This is very easy with watercolor by dropping in reflected details while the body of the reflection shape is still wet. See figure 5 for an example.

This is your typical wet on wet technique, the under wash of the water is painted first and let to dry thoroughly. Then the initial wash of the reflection is done wet on dry but the additional internal reflections are dropped in wet on wet which give the overall impression of fluidity.

Now when doing a beach scene it is the quick dry brush strokes of the water color over the white watercolor paper (this works best with Rough or Cold Press textured paper) that give the impression of foam on the water and hence the feeling of movement and fluidity. This can be seen in Figure: 4 above.

You can see a number of examples of reflections if you have a look at the seascapes and rivers scenes in my online art gallery. There are many other online art galleries of other watercolor artists’ work you can view which have similar examples of painting water you can study to help you learn to paint water better.

Hopefully the information on how to paint water will help you create some beautiful paintings in the future.

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Author: Joe

Owner and adminstration of the Painting With Watercolors website and forum. I am a professional watercolor artist, though I also use other mediums including pen and ink. I also enjoy playing with computers and the internet so this website is a bit of a hobby of mine. View all posts by Joe

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This wet street painting was inspired by a photo I took one morning while I was leaving Bathurst . It had been raining earlier but the rain had stopped and the sun was just breaking through the clouds. I love painting wet weather scenes as it opens up some exciting design possibilities.

Wet street with reflections watercolor painting by Joe Cartwright

Reference photo for wet street painting

Here is my reference photo for this watercolor painting. I have obviously made changes to aid my composition. The Church on the right is The Uniting (Methodist) Church. William Street, Bathurst.

Watercolor Materials

• Watercolor paper: quarter sheet (37cm x 27cm ) of 300 GSM Arches cold pressed paper.
• Brushes: round, sizes 24, 16, 12, and 8. Rigger.
• Palette with large areas.
• Artist’s quality watercolor paints: French Ultramarine, Cobalt Blue, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Burnt Sienna, Cadmium Red, Cobalt Turquoise, Raw Umber, and Aureolin. White gouache. All paints are by Winsor and Newton.
• Old piece of old towel to take moisture out of watercolor brushes.
• Box of plain tissues.
• Easel or something to support the board at an angle of about 20 to 30°.
• Masking tape to fix watercolor paper to board.

Drawing the street scene

The first step is to draw the street scene. The key point is to start with eye level and then draw your objects relative to that. What do I mean by this? Well, when drawing with perspective, objects above eye level will appear to move down to it the further away they are. While objects below eye level will appear to come up to it as they move away.

Another point about eye level which is important is that it basically tells you approximately how tall people are – hence eye level. You can then make all your other objects, cars, awnings, posts, fences, etc. , relative to that height.

Watercolor under painting

For the sky I used a weak mix of Cobalt Blue with a little Cad Orange for the warmer parts of the sky. I ran the blue and light orange mix down to the foreground. I painted around the bodies of the main figures and around the windscreen of the two closest cars.

While the sky area was still wet I dropped in a mix of French Ultramarine and Alizarin Crimson for the distant hill. I added a small amount of Cobalt Turquoise and Aureolin into the hills to give them a little tinge of green.

I used a similar mix, with the addition of a small amount of Burnt Siena, to paint the blue grey surface of the road, making the mix stronger as it came forward in the picture plane. This had to be done while the previous sky based wash was still wet as I wanted soft edges on the road surface. I left parts of the road very light to enhance the impression of a wet street.

I let this stage dry thoroughly!

Painting distant buildings with watercolor

Next we paint the buildings on the other side of the road.

The watercolors used are French Ultramarine, Burnt Siena, and Alizarin Crimson.

Notice how the buildings in the distance are very indistinct with more detail showing progressively as I come forward. The distant colors are also much bluer and lighter.

Lightness in watercolor painting is achieve by adding more water to your mix. Even though distant images are barely distinguishable I still kept varying my colors to add interest. Most of the details were left for the church and the building next to it.

The distant cars had some of the local building color merged into them to fix them tonally at a particular spot in the picture plane.

The trees behind the church were painting with a mix of Cobalt Turquoise, Raw Umber, Aureolin, and some French Ultramarine. Later I used a similar mix to paint the tree behind the horizontial roof line of the church.

The near trees and buildings

The buildings on the left hand side are barely distinguishable however I again I used some softer and lighter edges in the distance with stronger and sharper edges in the foreground. This area of the painting was painted with various mixes of French Ultramarine, Burnt Siena, and Alizarin Crimson.

Before the vague building shapes are dry I start placing the trees. I used a size 8 round watercolor brush in combination with a rigger brush for the distant tree. Notice how much lighter the distant tree is to the one in the foreground. This is important to create space in the painting.

I finished this side of the road by painting the darkest tree with much less water. I used a size 12 round brush for most of the tree with some rigger work for the finest branches.

Once this was dry I loosely painted the fence along the bottom.

Painting the people and cars

The cars and people are painted next. As they will have their reflections on the wet street you have to paint them before you can do their reflections.

I do not dwell on which colors to use for the people and cars. I mix some Raw Umber with Cad Red for the figures heads. For their clothing I just pick colors that will harmonize with the rest of the painting or in the case of the woman in red in the distance a color that will attract the eye and add some interest.

The cars are painted with mixtures of French Ultramarine, Alizarin Crimson, and some Burnt Siena. The important thing is not the colors you choose but the tone (how dark or light a color is) of the object. It is tone that mostly gives my painting a feeling of depth, which is what I always try to achieve.

I painted the lamp posts and power lines at this time.

Finishing the painting – reflections

To finish off this wet street painting we need to add the reflections. In fact a watercolor painting such as this always feels incomplete until the reflections are done.

To paint the reflections I start by mixing the colors for the reflections. This is basically the same mixture as that used for the buildings, people, cars, etc.

Once the colors are mixed I wet most of the road surface with clean water. I use a lot of water to do this so that I leave the surface with a shine on it. I do leave part of the road dry – under the two people walking across the road and beside the car on the left. This allows me to place some sharp edges under the two figures and beside the main car.

I then drop in the reflections and let them run down the page. The reflections should appear directly below the object being reflected but the actual shape does not have to be too accurate as the road surface is not like a true mirror. The road has bumps and undulations on it as well as its own color which combines with that of the reflected color.

The reflections also obey the rules of areal perspective becoming stronger in tone as they move closer to the viewer.

The reflections of the tail lights are pure Cadmium Red painted into the wet surface. The headlight reflections were done with some white gouache.

For the two people with umbrellas I painted their reflections lighter as they were in the distance.

After signing the painting it is finished!

If you liked this wet street painting demonstration you may like to look at some of my other watercolor painting demonstrations.

I like how the bright lights of the traffic are visually interesting in Vancouver when it is raining. Here is a watercolor cityscape tutorial that will give you at least a reason to like the rain here 🙂

Watercolor is a great media to convey anything related to water, including rain. Here are a few techniques that you can use to paint a rainy cityscape.

Watercolor cityscape tutorial : How to paint a rainy cityscape

You will need:

• Watercolor paper, I used Arched hot press
• a stretching board
• Watercolors, I used Yarka watercolors
• Masking fluid
• Coarse salt.

I am a Blick Art Materials affiliate and I receive a small compensation for sales. That does not effect in any way the cost of the purchaser’s order but it helps me keeping the content of this blog free.

Yarka St. Petersburg Professional Watercolor Pans

Same palette of traditional colors the great masters used a century ago. Liquid-poured means semi-moist pans respond instantly to a wet brush. 24 pans in plastic case. Also individual pans. – Master Set

Start by stretching your paper and draw a rough pencil outline of the buildings, cars and lights.

The first step, often when painting with watercolors is to preserve a few white areas with masking fluid, so you can paint fast and confidently around those shapes while preserving the white of the paper.

Masking fluid can also be applied on top of an already painted area, like here on the sign. It would be tricky to paint around the letters.

I am a Blick Art Materials affiliate and I receive a small compensation for sales. That does not effect in any way the cost of the purchaser’s order but it helps me keeping the content of this blog free.

Daler-Rowney Masking Fluid

This fluid is used to create striking white highlights or to mask areas for overpainting at a later stage. It forms a fast-drying, water-resistant film on watercolor paper and board, and is easily removed when dry.

The lighter green seen here will be the green of the letters, a darker shade of green will be painted on top.

Apply washes of paint on the various elements of the cityscape. Try to add variation by painting some washes flat, some wet on dry as on this picture and some painted wet on wet, letting the colors mix on the paper.

You can also layer several washes in some places starting from light to dark. Like here on the buildings, you can see the first lighter layer.

Paint one section at a time moving onto the painting.

To paint the sidewalk, I am going to lay a wet into wet wash, paying attention to the colors of the reflections on the road and then add some coarse salt for texture.

The salt is applied when the wash is still wet but has lost most of its shininess.

When the painting had time to dry, take off most of the masking fluid with an eraser and all the salt on the surface of the painting. You can soften most of the edges left by the masking fluid as those are often too sharp and unnatural looking.

A stiff brush and water are working well to soften the hard edges left by the masking fluid.

If you want to spray your painting with water to get the effect of a rainy cityscape, you can try adding a bit of watercolor pencils in some places, this will make colors a bit brighter and add a bit more contrast on the painting.

I am a Blick Art Materials affiliate and I receive a small compensation for sales. That does not effect in any way the cost of the purchaser’s order but it helps me keeping the content of this blog free.

Derwent Watercolor Pencils

These professional-quality, water-soluble pencils offer the freedom to switch from drawing to painting in an instant, with no change in tools. Use them to shade on dry paper, then quickly wash over with brush and water to get a blending effect. – Watercolor Pencil Sets

Splashing water will cause some of the colors on the painting to move but not too many, so adding watercolor pencils before splashing is a way to accentuate that effect.

Now the fun begins, you can spray the painting generously with water.

Leave the painting to lay flat as the water will cause some of the pigments to move on the paper.

You can also add a bit more colors with a dropper. Any effect that you don’t like can be either removed now with a tissue paper or later when the paint has dried with a stiff brush and water.

Transparent water drops are very appealing things to paint. With a bit of practice and careful planning, you’ll find they’re not as impossible to paint as you might have thought.

Understanding What You’re Looking At

The first thing to get decide is which direction the light is coming from in your painting as this will determine where the highlights and shadows in the drops will be.

Then apply the following ‘rules’:

• There’ll be a shadow underneath and to the opposite side of the light direction (in this illustration the light is coming from the right, so the shadow is underneath and to the left). Or just underneath if the light source is directly above.
• There’ll be a highlight on the top; not in the center but towards the side the light is coming from (right in this illustration). This is the light source reflected in the water drop.
• There is a shadow at the top of the water drop (this may not seem logical, but it’s caused by the refraction of light through the droplet from the shaded surface below).
• There is a highlight at the bottom of the water drop (again this may not seem logical, but it’s also caused by the refraction of the light through the drop, this time from the light source).

What Color Are Water Drops?

Water drops aren’t the ‘color of water’, rather being transparent they’re the color of whatever surface they’re lying on. So if the leaf it’s lying on is green, then the water looks green.

The highlight on the top of the drop will be white. The shadows are darker tones of the green. The refracted light at the bottom of the drop is a lighter tone of green. If the drop were on a red leaf, then the water drop would be in tones of red. The three drops above show this clearly.

Want to know the secret to painting realistic chrome? Hint: It’s less about the metal and more about what’s reflected in it.

Below, Kathleen E. Dworak shares her expert insight and even shares a quick step-by-step demonstration so you can master how to paint lifelike chrome in watermedia, too. Enjoy!

Ticket to Ride

You never know where or when inspiration will strike. Case in point: I took a workshop at which I learned how to paint flowers and crystal. The instructor demonstrated how glass is transparent and allows light through, but crystal refracts the light as it passes through. Chrome, on the other hand, is opaque and completely reflects its environment.

When I got home, I told my husband what I’d learned, and he asked if I’d paint his beloved motorcycle. I took a lot of photos of the bike, painted it and entered the work into local art shows. The awards and positive feedback steered me in a new direction — and I was ready for the ride.

Chrome and Mirrors by Kathleen E. Dworak, watercolor on paper.

Above is my latest motorcycle painting. After seeing this lineup of bikes at a dealership, I immediately took some photos. I especially liked the reflections in the mirrors.

I used frisket on the white reflections and on the black artwork on the red tank. Although I rarely use frisket, in this case it was necessary to achieve the effects I wanted.

American Chrome by Kathleen E. Dworak, watercolor on paper

The watercolor painting, American Chrome, is based on a visit to a San Francisco Harley-Davidson dealership on a sunny day. This work received its name because of its red, white and blue color scheme. I created a really dark background to call more attention to the headlights.

Making Chrome Shine, Step-by-Step

Ready to take chrome for a spin in your own watercolor painting? Read on to learn how I created the chrome effects in Study in Chrome and Vermilion. Enjoy!

Step 1: Transferring the Image

I spent several weeks evaluating my photo reference and creating the motorcycle drawing. Because I was painting machinery, it was especially important that it be rendered accurately.

Step 1b

Once I was completely satisfied with the drawing, I transferred it onto a sheet of watercolor paper (1b). I paint exclusively on Winsor & Newton 140-lb. cold-pressed paper, which provides a vivid white base, allowing reflections to stand out.

The reflections are actually the brightness of the unpainted sections of the paper. After I transferred the image, I then put down the lightest values.

Step 2: Color Me Fancy

With more color added, the painting slowly began to take shape. I added some darks, which helped to anchor the composition. This ensured that achieving the other values accurately would be much easier.

I liked the fancy wheel spokes, so I added in a few of those reflections. They were purely chrome; no other color was reflected in the metal. (Note: Any colors on the spokes are purely a reflection from the surrounding environment.)

Step 3: The Pop Off

I wanted a deep background to make the motorcycle “pop” off the paper. Once I painted the dark background behind it, I saw that all the time I’d spent getting the angles on the handlebars just right was worth the trouble. At this point, I could see the chrome emerge.

I glazed the grays, let them dry and then put down more layers until I had achieved the desired value.

Step 4: Fiery Details

I continued layering color and following my detailed drawing. The gold color is yellow ochre; vermilion was the perfect color for the flame.

The Final Painting

The metal in Study in Chrome and Vermilion looks three-dimensional as intended. And, the deep background helps the chrome — and the motorcycle — stand out.

How would you apply chrome to your next painting? Tell us in the comments!

And, be sure to subscribe to Watercolor Artist magazine for more watermedia instruction, tips and inspiration!

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This demonstration of a warm sunset watercolor painting was first done as a class exercise with my students. It received some very favorable comments so I have decided to do a full step by step watercolor demo of it.

I chose this sunset image, which is full of warm colors and interesting reflections, because I have always been attracted to scenes with mood and atmosphere.

The reference photo below was provided by my friend Robyn Lovelock and is of Lake Bonney in South Australia, close to the borders of Victoria and New South Wales. The location is renowned for its beautiful sunsets.

This photo (figure 1) required very little editing to turn it into a nice watercolor painting and had the added benefit that I could show my students how to tackle soft water reflections in barely damp paper. If not done at just the right time you can end up with unwanted back runs or cauliflowers or edges that are too indistinct. On the other hand if you wait too long you can end up with hard edges which would not look as good for this watery scene. Notice how the silhouette of the trees against the warm sky is quite sharp whereas the reflections have a soft look to them. You should also see that the distant shore forms a light line in parts. I will attempt to capture these effects in my painting.

Initial drawing for warm sunset watercolor painting

The only prior drawing required was of a horizontal line representing the distant shoreline. The rest of the painting does not need any drawing as the shapes are relatively simple and the location of the trees and their shapes can be decided upon after the sky is complete. In this way if a problem develops in the sky wash it may be possible to cover it by a tree! More importantly depending on how your watercolor sky finishes up the positioning of the tree line can be such so as to take full advantage of your final sky design.

Painting composition decisions

Here are the main composition decisions I made for this watercolor painting based on my reference photo:

• I placed the distant shoreline lower than in the photo to keep it well away from the center of the work. I didn’t want the shoreline to divide the painting in half.
• I also decided to leave out the diagonal shore in the foreground as well as the tree on the left hand edge of the photo. They did not add to the painting and the hard edge of the diagonal would have acted to lead the eye out of the painting rather than keeping it in it.
• I moved the position of the sun to the left for a more pleasing balance.
• When I paint a scene like this I never slavishly try to paint everything that is in the photo – if I wanted to do that then I would just frame the photo. As artists we have the ability to extract the essence of an image and hopefully improve on it.

Watercolor painting material required

Paper: Arches 300 gsm Rough or Cold Press watercolor paper. Quarter Sheet: 37cm x 27cm

Brushes: Round watercolor brushes sizes 24, 16, 12, and 8.

Watercolor paints: Winsor and Newton artists quality water colors, French Ultramarine, Cobalt Blue, Burnt Sienna, Cad Yellow Pale, Cad Orange, Permanent Alizarin Crimson.

Other equipment: Water spray bottle which produces a very fine soft mist. Masking tape – 1″ wide to fix your watercolor paper to your board. Simple watercolor easel to hold your watercolor paper at about a 20-30 degree angle. If you don’t have an easel then just prop you board on something about the height of a tissue box.

We are now ready to start our painting. We will first tackle the warm sky.

One of the best parts of winter is watching falling snow. (Sorry California, you’re stuck with this all year round.) So wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to capture that magic in watercolors ? Of course it would. Here’s how to do it.

1. Spatter with white paint

To add a snowy effect to a landscape , wait until the picture has dried. Then mix water and opaque white watercolor paint until thick. Spatter the mixture by tapping a brush against the handle of a second brush loaded with pigment. Some artists have a (dedicated!) toothbrush they use to spatter paint.

Titanium White and Zinc White pigment (sometimes called Chinese White) both work well for painting falling snow. Just keep in mind that Titanium White is bright and opaque, while Zinc White is more transparent.

2. Use a masking fluid

Masking fluid is the easiest way to preserve anything white in your painting, even though it leaves very sharp and unnatural edges. But it works like a dream for snowflakes, which require fine detail — as in the lantern painting above.

First, randomly apply small dots of masking fluid on the paper, varying the the shape and size. Tip: Coat your brush with soap before dipping it into masking fluid, or the fluid will ruin the bristles. Or use matchsticks or toothpicks instead of a brush.

Let the masking fluid dry thoroughly, then paint over it. Once that paint is completely dry, gently rub your fingers all over the paper to remove the masking fluid.

3. Work with the paper

This method is best for painting big, fluffy flakes of snow, especially on rough watercolor paper.

Just apply light strokes on a dry surface, using the flat side of the brush rather than the tip, and watch as white areas appear.

4. Use wax

If you want to create the illusion of snowflakes on a blustery day, take a white candle or wax crayon and randomly make some quick dots and dashes on paper. Then paint your winter scene over it.

5. Blot with paper towel

Tear a paper towel into strips anywhere from a half- to one-inch wide, depending on the size of snowflakes, and five- to six-inches long. Roll the strips between your thumb and fingers to form thin, tight cords.

Apply paint on dry paper. Take one of those cords and bend it to make it firmer, then press the tip against the paper. Make sure it not only absorbs the pigment, but also leaves a dry spot on the paper, so the wet paint doesn’t leak into the snowflake area.

Your snowflakes will look more natural if you combine one or two of the techniques above. So go ahead and experiment — maybe with a cup of hot chocolate by your elbow to help set the mood!

Have you ever tasted a new and delicious dessert, and later found out that it was actually relatively healthy? Food can surprise us, and art is no different. I’m constantly being reminded that pastels, oils and watercolors can be manipulated to raise an eyebrow and the question, “Is that really…?” Transparent watercolor falls within this category as well, as Linda Stevens Moyer can attest. Moyer is the author of Light Up Your Watercolors Layer By Layer: Transparent Glazing Techniques for Luminous Paintings, and in the following excerpt she shares her thoughts on this medium, as well as a mini-demonstration on how to paint a parrot.

Haiku #2 (transparent watercolor, 40×60) by Linda Stevens Moyer. Private collection. Photograph by Gene Ogami.

“Transparent watercolor is a challenge,” says Moyer. “It has been called one of the most difficult mediums to master. It is true that there are certain rules to follow in creating a painting in transparent watercolor–perhaps more than in a number of other mediums. However, once the rules (or procedures) become part of the painter, I don’t believe that there is a more beautiful way of expressing any subject matter.

“There are many different ‘looks’ to transparent watercolor. The most popular misconception is that watercolor paintings must be small, pale, watery compositions. On the contrary, watercolors may be mural-sized, bright, detailed and filled with strong values. The look depends on the expression of the individual artist.

“I’ve found through years of teaching that a structured foundation will make for a confident painter. I believe that structure in learning leads to freedom of expression.” (Tweet this quote!)

Mini-demonstration: How to Paint a Parrot in Watercolor
by Linda Stevens Moyer

1. Make a Drawing and Apply the Warm Colors
Begin with a No. 2 pencil drawing, and then layer cadmium yellow pale, cadmium orange and alizarin crimson. Use several layers of each color. For example, layer alizarin crimson in three distinct steps: light, medium and dark. This layering of one color can be seen in the shadowed portion of the parrot’s head.

2. Add the Cool Colors
Layer the following colors over the warm colors: phthalo green mixed with a touch of yellow ochre, phthalo green, phthalo blue and ultramarine blue. Notice how the previously applied alizarin crimson dulls and darkens the cool colors. In some areas the warm colors are allowed to come through the new application of cool colors, creating a look of iridescence in the bird’s feathers.

3. Finish With a Dark, Dull Color
Wherever a color or value change is desired, apply various tints of a dark, dull blue-green (mixed with phthalo blue and burnt sienna). The effects may be very subtle, but help to establish detail and subordinate the intensity of the previously applied layers.

Stereotypes do little good, even when it comes to painting with various mediums. I hope that if you’re new to watermedia in particular, that this inspires you to push the boundaries of what you can do with your your art. Note that if you want to try this lesson for yourself, you’ll want to scroll down for the original reference photo. And of course, get even more instruction when you get your copy of Moyer’s Light Up Your Watercolors Layer By Layer today at North Light Shop.

Hoping you find freedom in expression,
Cherie

Reference photo from Light Up Your Watercolors Layer By Layer: Transparent Glazing Techniques for Luminous Paintings by Linda Stevens Moyer

Watercolour artist Bob Davies from delivers a fine watercolour tutorial here which sets to guide the aspiring watercolour artist how to paint reflections and puddles in watercolour �paints.

This tutorial is clearly delivered and is a very useful guide for the beginner artist who is not quite confident enough to paint what many people consider to be one of the more difficult subjects in landscape painting – water and reflections.

In this watercolour tutorial Bob Davies uses,

• Bockingford 140lb rough paper
• Pthalo blue watercolour paint
• Lemon yellow watercolour paint
• Burnt umber watercolour paint
• No.s 6&8 round watercolour brushes
• 1/2 inch flat brush

Who Uploaded This Tutorial?

I have studied art for most of my life and would easily say that it was my number one passion. I appreciate everything surrounding art but I gear most of my efforts towards anatomy and the human form. I believe there is nothing more beautiful and rewarding than being creative to produce art which does the human figure justice. I hope you enjoy my portfolio and if you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me. I also travel the world whilst maintaining this website in the hope to broaden my horizons and discover all the different types of art around the globe.

How to Lay an Even Wash in Watercolor

A wash is useful for providing a background or for covering a large area. It can either be done in one tone, known as an even, smooth, or flat wash; or gradually getting lighter, known as a graded wash.

You’ll need the following:

• A piece of watercolour paper stretched on a drawing board.
• A large brush (such as a number 10 or 12).
• A jar of clean water.
• An easel or something to prop your drawing board up at a 30-degree angle to the horizontal.
• A cloth for drying your brush.

How to Lay an Even, Flat Wash:
Step 1: Place your board at a 30-degree angle so that the brushstrokes you’re going to put down will flow into each other. You’re going to work from top to bottom. Load your brush with plenty of paint. Starting at the top edge of the piece of paper, put down a broad horizontal stroke, from one side to the other as if you were drawing a line with a pencil. Don’t lift your brush until you’re all the way across. Some paint will accumulate at the bottom of this stripe. Don’t try to get rid of this, it’s an essential part of a wash.

Step 2: Add some more paint to your brush, then make another horizontal stroke making sure that the tip of your brush picks up the “river” of paint at the bottom of the first stripe. Don’t paint above this river or you’ll ruin the evenness of your wash. Work quickly as you need to lay the next stroke before the river dries up, otherwise you’ll end up with lines in your wash, and before it runs down the paper

Step 3: Continue in this way until you get to the bottom of the paper. Squeeze the excess paint from your brush between a fold of cloth, then use the brush tip to lift the excess paint from the last stroke. Don’t worry if this makes the last stroke seem a little lighter than the rest, some of the paint will seep down while it dries and sort this out. Leave your board at an angle until the wash is completely dry, otherwise some of the wet paint will flow back up and your wash will dry unevenly.

Colin Smith

In this tutorial I’m going to show you how to create a reflection in Photoshop. This is more of a graphic design trick that has been used a lot lately for things like logos, text and modern design. If you want to do a reflection on Photographs, check out this tutorial instead

Step 1

Start with a gradient. Tip: To constrain the gradient to 90 degrees hold down the shift key.

Step 2

Add your text or image

Step 3

Make a copy of the text by dragging to the new layer icon (or pressing Ctrl/Cmd+J)

On the copy go into free transform by pressing Ctr/Cmd+T.

Left click >Flip Vertical.

Drag the copy beneath the original, so that it looks reflected

Step 4

Add a layer mask to the reflected copy and drag with a black to white gradient. (See the Gradient masking technique here)

Experiment with different starting and end point on the gradient for different results.

Step 5

You should now have something that resembles this, for a sharp reflection.

Extra Credit, softer reflection

There are times when you want the reflection to be a bit softer, this simulated a different kind of surface that you are reflecting onto.

Choose Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur

You will have the option to convert to a Smart Object. Accept this option.

Apply a small amount of blur to the reflection to suit your tastes

Here is the softer result.

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How to Paint a Pond

Things You’ll Need

• HB pencil
• Watercolor paper
• 6 color set of watercolor paints
• Watercolor palette
• Cup of water
• Medium-size sable brush
• Fine brushes

Igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary are the three basic types of rocks. Igneous rocks, like quartz, are crystalline solids which are formed from the cooling of molten rock such as lava or magma. Metamorphic rocks, such as slate, are formed when high temperatures and pressure cause the rock to recrystallize. Sedimentary rocks, like limestone, are the result of an accumulation of layers of compacted debris of pre-existing rocks. Rocks are so common in our landscapes that you must include them in most landscape paintings. Watercolor paint is an ideal medium for rocks since you can thinly layer details and textures.

Draw the contour or outline of the rock you wish to paint with your HB pencil on watercolor paper. An HB pencil is a medium-dark, soft drawing pencil.

Squeeze pea-size amounts of all your watercolor paints from your set onto the your watercolor palette. Usually watercolor palettes have small areas at the sides for the paint and larger inner squares for mixing paint.

Dip the medium-size sable brush into a cup of water, then brush a small amount of orange and yellow. Mix with more water and then swirl in the middle of your palette in the mixing area. You should have a very pale color.

Paint the entire rock with this very pale color. Wait for it to dry completely before adding more paint.

Mix brown, yellow and orange with plenty of water on your palette. You want a color that is slightly darker than the first color. Add it to areas of your rock with shadow. Wait for it to dry.

Dip a fine-tipped brush slightly in the blue paint and add it to the color you just made. You want a slightly darker color. Add water if it is too dark.

Paint shadows, larger cracks and crevices of your rock. Wait for it to dry.

Dip a fine brush into black and mix with water. Paint more detailed cracks and crevices. Add darker shadows with this color too.

In watercolor painting, you typically work from light to dark. Highlights and light areas are painted first, and then shadows and details are added later. Areas that are white in your painting are left alone to leave the paper showing through.

Experiment with different types of rocks in your landscape painting.

Warnings

Change your water in your cup as soon as it looks like mud, or it will affect the colors in your watercolor painting.

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Accurately capturing reflective surfaces can be one of the biggest challenges facing an artist. Leading Canadian hyperrealist painter Jason de Graaf discusses his approach to his art.

Subjects

Like most painters, I seem to have developed a connection to painting certain things. One of the things that I most enjoy is the challenge of rendering different surfaces, conveying my fascination with the interplay of light and reflections.

Conveying the phenomena of reflections in a painting is a matter of observation; of breaking down what you’re painting into shapes and colours, whether it’s glass, foil or a chrome sphere. With practice you can understand the principles and then take liberties. Objects that are easily recognisable will translate better into reflected distortions. You can use abstracted reflections to guide the viewer’s eye to the part of the painting on which you want the real focus.

Materials

I use heavy body Liquitex brand acrylic paints and I use different brands of canvas depending on if I buy an off-the-rack canvas or have one custom made. I used to paint on masonite and I have recently started doing a couple of paintings on wood panels. I don’t use gels or mediums, and I mostly use round brushes of various sizes, sometimes a filbert for large areas.

Lighting

About 95 percent of the time I’ll use natural light or natural light in conjunction with some indoor lights. I’ll either set up something outside in the sun or I’ll use light coming through the window, like for Bedlam. I don’t have a serious photo light set up so I’m always experimenting or trying to do things within the confines of what I have to hand – I’ve even made a couple of paintings where the set up was lit by candles. Reflections usually appear slightly darker in photographs and I usually emphasize this in the painting so the viewer knows which are the actual objects and which are the reflections.

Composition

Oftentimes I’ll have an idea in my head from which I might make some sketches; then I’ll gather the objects and set up an arrangement. Archimedes’ Principle was based upon two or three photographs. I made the set up outside on a sunny day. I set my camera to a very fast shutter speed, put the lens on manual focus and dropped a strawberry in a glass of water with one hand while trying to synchronize the shutter release with the other. I took over 200 shots until I had a couple of images that I felt I could work with.

I play around with how I will crop the image, which decides what the canvas’s ratio of height to width will be. I make a drawing from that image, correcting any warping that occurs because of lens distortion (I also ‘perfect’ objects, making glasses symmetrical and marbles circular). I get the drawing enlarged and transfer it onto the canvas with blue carbon paper. Once that’s done, I paint in the basic shapes, concentrating on getting the colours and values right.

Focus

Binary Set started with a photograph I took while at a restaurant. As I was painting it, I made design decisions about the background to make it more attractive. I make choices about the out-of-focus sections, sometimes making them more blurry or more stylised – for this painting, I exaggerated the “bokeh” effect.

My technique involves a lot of hatching, as one would do when using a pencil to create shading. I sometimes employ an airbrush to help smooth out larger areas or to darken or change the colour value of an area, sort of like glazing. I work smaller and smaller as I progress, refining details, using smaller brushes, until I feel the painting is complete.

Technical Knowledge

I think understanding the science of fluids, light and reflection really does help one make sense of what is happening and interpret that to, hopefully, make a successful painting.

For Heliocentric, I used these mirror balls as reference, which were actually Christmas ornaments. I took photographs of them on a pathway, in front of the church in Saint-Eustache, Quebec. In the reference photos, my camera and I were reflected in the ball, obscuring the church. To overcome this I took a lot of photos from different angles, including just the church itself. Then, when it came to drawing the design I went through my reference material and interpreted what should be in the painting where a reflection of my camera and I was in the shot. I also spent a lot of time getting the church to look the same from different angles and different degrees of focus in each sphere.

Brushes are poised, whiskeys are poured, and everyone’s logged into Zoom. A group of prestigious architects, who also happen to be good friends, are meeting on Sundays to paint their way to a semblance of normal during life in the time of COVID-19. The group, whose members are holed up throughout New York, downtown Chicago, San Antonio, and Washington, D.C., has its origins in a more peaceful time—and in a particularly picturesque place: “We started painting together only last October in Surrey, England,” Thomas A. Kligerman, of AD100 firm Ike Kligerman Architects, tells AD PRO of the group he helped found. “While on a trip to see the early houses of Edwin Lutyens, we begin painting as the day began, when the light was glancing and golden. We got up while our fellow travelers slept and carried steaming cups of coffee out into the frosty landscape. We painted the beautiful Arts and Crafts house Goddards, where we were lucky enough to be staying. A dream come true for a clutch of residential architects.”

The five-architect group meets every Sunday to paint together—virtually.

That clutch is a five-man group that also includes Michael Imber of Michael G. Imber Architects; Ankie Barnes of BarnesVanze; Steve Rugo of Rugo Raff Architects; and Douglas Wright of Douglas C. Wright Architects. “There are five us—four from our trip to England and then Steve Rugo, who joined our group on a later journey. We’ve had many colleagues and friends, and even real artists, request to join us, but we have feared the unique balance and chemistry would be disrupted. Or even worse, they would take it all too seriously,” says Imber. There may be a certain exclusivity—but keeping the group tight is also a practicality. Admits Kligerman, “I have heard it said that the United States Senate, at 100 people, is the world’s most exclusive club. What does that make us? We are a knot of only five architects. Tiny, for reasons from good to practical: We are great friends, we’ve traveled together, and we critique but don’t judge. But also, it’s how many faces fit comfortably on a computer screen for a video chat.”

A watercolor of a scene in South Africa by Michael Imber.

Says Wright of the group’s English origins, “Each morning, we four architects were so enamored of the house where we were staying that we’d get up early and spend an hour or two sketching, then we’d retire to the pantry and finish our sketches or watercolors before breakfast. The tradition continued on a trip to India. When remote working started, we all reached out to one another, and decided Sunday afternoons would be better than mornings. The whiskey was added when the Sunday sessions started.”

A watercolor featuring Venice by Douglas C. Wright.

Barnes agrees: “We were hooked. Another trip followed this March, where this habit repeated itself. However, the explosion of the virus while we were abroad had us all scrambling to be home before lockdown. Within two to three days of our return, sealed in our respective homes, we were all confused, shocked, and missed the camaraderie of the painting as a group. As I recall, the group was born when my wife, Fran—who knows and loves all these guys too—suggested we connect by Zoom and not miss the shared painting experience. The Whisky Watercolor Club, held on Sunday afternoons, was born.”

How does it work now that they’re in quarantine? The first two weeks saw the group painting scenes from shared past trips. But they then agreed to formalize the sessions a bit more—painting the same agreed-upon scene each week to, as Barnes puts it, allow “for comparison, critiques, and learning.” WWC members share images via text during the week: “sometimes just a beautiful picture we had taken on a travel; sometimes it’s a real challenge, like a compositional challenge, a color palette, or even painting a modern oil painting in watercolor. Sometimes we will settle on one image, but more often we will submit two or three and someone may paint all three or just one,” explains Imber. Then they come to a consensus for that week’s inspiration. They pull from photographs, from paintings by the likes of masters Claude Monet and John Singer Sargent, and from past travels. “Since the lockdown, we have been to Provence, Tuscany, Venice, Devon, Cape Town, and many closer destinations,” says Barnes. “Our brushes and paper are our wings, the whiskey our jet fuel. Ready for takeoff!”

A watercolor of Siena, Italy, by Thomas A. Kligerman.

As befits a group of architects, the main requirement now is that the subjects pose a suitable creative challenge. “We select images that have at least one thing to challenge the watercolorist: mist, silhouettes, dramatic shade and shadow, reflections—and unusual palettes from brightly colored to very limited,” explains Kligerman. “The common theme is beauty. During the week my phone lights up with images sent from my WWC buddies. They’re always striking and varied. On our own, we each paint random selections. As a group, we choose a new painting idea together. Discussing the range of interpretations of that painting forms the core of our weekly video get-together.” Architectural scenes, water scenes, and images captured while traveling are among the group’s collective favorite subjects. Barnes recently began fly-fishing on the Potomac River, and shares “misty, moody, and dramatic scenes from these escapades” as creative fodder for the group’s interpretation. Limiting the focus to a single image actually stimulates creativity, says Rugo. “Seeing the same picture through other’s trusted eyes is gratifying. The differences in interpretation, shadow, light, technique, and color create continuous opportunities for us to all share.”

A watercolor featuring the Alhambra in Granada, Spain, by Steve Rugo.

Aside from creating a stockpile of charming souvenirs that will, one day hopefully soon, emerge from quarantine, the weekly meet-up provides a sense of hope, too—hope that life, travel, and friendship will return with the full-spectrum color they had all enjoyed in the recent past—during an otherwise bleak time. “Connection,” as Kligerman sums it up. “Connecting with the subject matter. Connecting with yourself. At its base, painting and drawing teach us to see. It sharpens our focus. It opens up powers of observation and analysis. It is contemplative and encourages us to see the familiar in a new way. And, all the while, in the back of one’s mind, problems are quietly solved and the imagination soars. Architecture is an art form, and perhaps by dipping into this world we can bring a painterly spontaneity to our buildings. More life and color.”

Or, in other words, as Wright puts it, “It starts with the watercolors and moves into other worlds.”

How to Paint a Water Lily on Canvas

Things You’ll Need

• Prepared canvas
• Charcoal or HB pencil
• Brushes
• Paint

A pond is a small body of fresh water that, like a lake, can be either natural or man-made. There is no precise difference between a lake and a pond. In the northeastern United States, in particular, there are numerous lake-size ponds, including the famous 61-acre Walden Pond, near Concord, Massachusetts, where Henry David Thoreau lived and wrote in the middle of the 19th century. But most people think of ponds as considerably smaller than lakes. They are equally inspiring subjects for painters.

Sketch your pond landscape with charcoal or HB pencil on your prepared canvas. Take your canvas outside on an easel or use photos as a reference for your painting.

Draw a horizontal line across your canvas, about halfway down. This will be your horizon line. Above the line is the sky, and below it is your water.

Add trees around your pond. Trees near the horizon line are small, while the trees near the foreground, the front of the painting, are larger. This creates perspective. Add pebbles on the shore and just under water.

Paint your trees with greens for the leaves and browns for the trunks and branches. Paint the sky with light blues or gray colors. Paint the pond water a darker shade of the color you used for the sky. If the shore is sandy, it can be light brown, but often ponds have rocky shores or have grasses or reeds growing right to the water’s edge.

Paint reflections of the trees in the pond by using similar colors you used to paint the trees. Mix those colors with blue to make reflections in the water. They should look like mirror images, subtly hazier than the real trees.

Add color to some of the pebbles that are underwater. They should be brown with blue over it, so that the water looks transparent.

Add tones, or shadows and highlights, to your overall painting. The trees should have shadows and highlights. The pond should have highlights from the sun and ripples to show slight movement of the water. Be sure to depict the pond’s transparent and reflective qualities to make it look realistic.

Experiment with different pond scenes, like a Koi pond.

If you live near a pond, create a series of pond paintings to show how it changes with the seasons, the weather and the time of day.

It’s time for a new A Blog Named Hero Challenge. The challenge theme is watercolor and in today’s video I’m going to show you how to use those clear stamps to get an awesome watercolor look! Hero Arts Color Layering Stamp Sets are perfect for this technique because you can really build up those colors and take advantage of the details!

Be sure to stay tuned folks! I’m going to share the details on the Hero Arts 2018 Summer Release Blog Hop!

You can watch the video on how I made my cards HERE. You can also click on the thumbnail link below.

I like a faux frame on my cards and you can easily mask one ff, but I took the esasy route today folks and used the Hero Art Nesting RECTANGLE Infinity Die and lightly traced the inside of it with a pencil.

I also used my MISTI Stamping Tool because I was using the Hero Art Color Layering FLAMINGO Stamp Set. You could totally use a stamp block and line up your images, but the beauty of the MISTI is you can be sure your images will be lined up perfectly. Plus if you need to stamp the same layer repeatedly like I did (be sure to watch the VIDEO) it helps a bunch.

I used Tombow DUAL BRUSH Pens today. You could use sever different types of watercolor, but I find these pens work the best. I have my color choices listed in the thumbnail links below.

Before I stamped my images, I made sure to do a light wash inside my faux frame first. You can totally stamp directly over the top with other colors and nobody will ever know the difference. This works the best because then you aren’t trying to get that color in and around the images after they are stamped.

The other thing I like about this technique is you can control how loose your watercoloring looks. I kept mine pretty crisp and clean, but if you want a looser more traditional watercolor look, you’ll just add more water.

I find, as always, the paper you use makes a big difference. I use some Arteza WATERCOLOR Paper because I had more control with my water, but Distress Watercolor Paper works pretty good too. I talk more about that in the VIDEO.

This is a really fun technique folks. It’s been around for ages and it’s a fabulous way to get more used out of those clear stamps!

ALSO! Today is the Hero Arts 2018 Summer Release Blog Hop! I have two videos to share with you for the Hop. PLUS if you go to this post HERE, I have the full list of folks on the hop! There’s loads of inspiration and this release is AWE-some.

Be sure to head over to A BLOG NAMED HERO for more details on the challenge folks. You will also want to see t what the rest of the Team has to share! They are amazing!

My mother’s name is Rosa and for her last birthday, I painted a rose honoring her name. Today, I’m happy to share the steps on how to paint a rose in watercolor.

Step 1 I take many of my reference photos for painting. These photos were taken in Bogotá, Colombia, where roses can be seen growing in many front yards. As you can see, the final rose is a composite of two different photographs, one for the flower itself and one for the leaves.

Step 2 Using the photos as a reference I do a line drawing on a regular printing piece of paper. Once I am happy with the drawing, I scan it so that I can use photoshop to rotate it and adjust the image within the format of the watercolor paper I plan to use. Then I print it out.

Step 3 I place the printout on the window, put the watercolor paper on it, and trace it by drawing a very light line.

Step 4 To paint a successful watercolor, preparation is crucial. The first thing I do is to mix and prepare enough color on my palette.

In this case, for the flower, I mixed quinacridone rose with a tiny bit of a warm yellow for the petals. For the leaves, I prepared different greens by mixing pthalo blue with a lemon yellow and/or a warm yellow. I touch the green with a little bit of its complementary, red, to tone it down and turn it into a more natural green.

Many times, to relax into painting, I work on two pieces at a time. That way, whatever might not go well with one, I can do better on the other. In the following photo, you can see different versions of the same rose.

Step 5 I apply the first layer working wet-on-wet, which means that first I apply a layer of clean water and when it is still wet, I touch it with the color. The consistency of the paint is diluted, but it is applied more charged with color on the left to begin evoking a sense of volume.

Step 6 The first layer of the leaves is applied, also working wet-on-wet.

Step 7 I mix the rose color with carmine and a little ultramarine blue to make darker tones. The previous layers are completely dry when I wet the paper with clean water and apply details of shadows to each section of the petals area. The highlights of the rose are left untouched, they show only the first layer of color.

Also, a second layer of green is applied, making sure to suggest the veins by leaving them unpainted. This means that the color of the veins is the green applied on the first layer.

Step 8 The previous layer has to be bone dry. I work mostly wet-on-wet but section by section adding contrast on the leaves and stem.

Would you like to paint more flowers in watercolor?

I hope you enjoyed this lesson on how to paint a rose watercolor. If you would like to take a FREE online class on How to Paint a Pansy in Watercolor in Five Easy Steps (Videos Included) click here!

Leyla Torres is a World Watercolor Month 2019 Artist Ambassador!

Leyla Torres

I’m a Visual artist, writer and author. In my studio practice, I explore creativity through writing, watercolor painting and origami, the art of paper folding. I share these artistic activities as vehicles for cultivating the creative spirit while fostering a sense of inner calm and play in our daily lives.

Painting Glass: What Color is Glass?

No single color or paint could be labeled ‘transparent glass.’ The color of the glass is determined by what’s around it, what you see through it, what is reflecting in it, and how much shadow there is.

The two glasses in this photo are both simple, transparent glass. The one at the front is empty, and the one at the back has liquid in it. Now your brain knows that the color of the glass at the back hasn’t changed, it’s the liquid in it that’s making it a different color. But to turn it into a painting, you don’t first paint the glass itself and then what’s in it.

You’re creating an illusion. You need to suspend your brain’s interpretation of the objects and look at the colors and tones. Paint each little shape or bit of color and tone individually and, like a jigsaw puzzle, the pieces will snap together to form the whole.

Painting Glass: Influence of an Orange Background

The color of the glass is influenced by what’s in the background. These are the same two glasses as in the previous photo, but with an orange plate behind them. Compare the two photos, and you’ll see how the ‘color’ of the glasses change.

Notice how the colors in the stems of the glasses are influenced too. There are oranges in all sorts of places, including shadows and edge closest to you.

Painting Glass: Influence of a Green Background

These are the same two glasses as in the first photo, but with a green plate behind them. As with the orange background, the ‘color’ of the glasses changes significantly. Even the color of the liquid in the rear glass is different.

For me, glasses are a good example of why, if you want to paint in a realistic style, you should paint from observation, not your imagination. You are unlikely to get enough of it ‘right,’ to have all the small details that will make it real. It’s hard enough overriding your brain’s autopilot instincts with the objects in front of you!

Start by setting up the glasses so they’re in a consistent light (not one that changes; a lamp may be helpful) and take the time to look at them before you start to paint. When you think you’re ready, mix three tones—a light, medium, and dark. (These can be any color, it’s the tone that’s important.)

Now do quick tonal painting or study with just these. You’re not trying to create a finished painting, just a rough sketch putting down the shapes or areas you see as light, medium, and dark, in tone. (If you’re using watercolor, consider using masking fluid to preserve the lightest tones.)

When you’re done, step back so you can see both your tonal study and the glasses. Spend some time comparing the two, then adjust and refine your tonal sketch as necessary.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sue Stepp

Watercolor paints produce spectacular effects if you use the correct techniques. Painting a cloudy sky, sunny sky, reflections or ice require completely different techniques. Painting ice requires patience and time, because you let areas dry thoroughly between steps, but the actual painting process is simple. Use the same basic techniques when you paint ice cubes, icicles hanging from trees or a distant frozen landscape, and get excellent results.

Ice Cubes

Set a piece of ice on a saucer, and place it on a flat surface with a light aimed at its surface. Lightly sketch in what you see using a light pencil. You see the colors behind and under the ice along with the reflected light. Paint in the areas where you see color showing through the ice cube. Leave white paper showing toward the edges of the ice cube. The white areas look icy. Paint areas around the ice cube, and add any reflections of the ice in the melted water around the ice cube.

Hanging Icicles

Icicles blend the colors around them with white. When you draw an icicle, draw the areas carefully. Paint masking fluid over the white areas, and let it dry. Paint the darker areas with the appropriate color. If the icicle is against something brown, make the icicle a slightly lighter shade of brown. Once it dries, rub off the masking fluid with your fingers or a kneaded eraser, and add in some thin color washes that blend the white areas and colored areas. While the wash is still wet, draw a dry paper towel in a downward motion on the damp icicle. This makes a highlight going down the icicle.

Frozen Landscapes

Frozen landscapes full of ice and snow are easily painted with a little patience. Start by using cooler colored paints. Lean more toward the blues, greens and purples, which give the image a cooler feel. Draw in the basic sketch on the watercolor paper, and paint in thin washes of the colors. Leave a lot of areas of the page white. If there are trees or shrubs, paint them, leaving some areas white toward the tops of limbs where snow sticks as it falls, and some areas under the limbs white where an icicle droops. If you get too much color in an area, lift it up by dabbing a piece of paper towel or a sponge into the area. It lifts the color up easily. Wet ice is reflective, so paint in reflected color coming from things around icy areas. If you have a frozen pond, the trees and sky reflect off the surface.

Icy Windows

Draw the windows using a light pencil, and put a handful of paper towels and rough sponges by the drawing. Scrunch up the paper towels. Take one rough sponge, and dip it in masking fluid. Dab the masking fluid around the edges of the window. Let it dry thoroughly. Paint the areas around the windows first, and let dry thoroughly. Paint the scene showing through the window quickly, and press the rough sponge around the edges of the windows to lift the paint. Quickly, press the paper towels around the edges, lifting more paint. Wait until the paint dries completely, and rub off the masking fluid. This leaves white, icy-looking areas around the edges of the windows.

Break down the appearance of fabric, and rebuild it with simple straightforward painting techniques.

Gradations of colour and tone pretty much occur everywhere. When learning how to paint fabric, gradation skills and observation skills are very important.

Some gradations are quite obvious, and some are subtle. Even within the most subtle gradation of colour, there is a whole world of nuance. They are rarely just gradations in tone. There is usually a shift in hue as well. And often, several.

Throughout history, artists have been mesmerised by the illusion of dimension, particularly in figures and fabric. Being able to “gradate” colour and/or tone is necessary for this.

You may not wish to paint fabric “realistically”, but knowing the process and the “rules” around this process will allow you to expand your creativity.

By this I mean you will start to discover colour and nuance where before you may not have, leaving you with the wonderful opportunity to either exaggerate, or even abstract. Knowledge is freedom.

So let’s look at fabric.

When learning how to paint fabric, it’s useful to simplify. For this purpose, we’ll look at some plain white-ish fabric. If you throw it on the table, and start looking closely, you’ll start to notice several things. Not only are there highlights and shadows, there are also often reflections of highlights, reflections of light from other objects in the room, and even sometimes reflections of shadows, and in shadows. One of the best places to look for these is in the areas that are not highlit.

The old masters used to (for a period anyway) hide all their brush marks, and used a complicated process of glazing, layering and soft brushes to remove any hint of brushwork. Those gradations are sublime. Are they necessary? That’s up to you, and your work. BUT. Seeing them, and being able to paint them reasonably well, expands your capabilities.

So let’s learn how to paint fabric!

Atelier Interactive Artists Acrylics:

• Titanium White
• Burnt Umber
• Cadmium Yellow Medium
• Dioxazine Purple
• Permanent Alizarine
• French Ultramarine Blue

Atelier Unlocking Fluid

Fine mist spray bottle

Canvas – 30cm x 40cm approx

I use cheap flats (if they’re new, beat them up a bit first to get rid of the stray hairs). You’ll need one approximately 5mm across, 1cm across, and 2cm across – or size 4, 8 & 12 approximately (why don’t paintbrush companies talk to each other and make them all the same sizes?)

2 round soft brushes for blending, approximately a size 4 and a size 10.

The first step is to get all of the large areas of colour down.

Using wet-in-wet technique, we’ll block in all the large areas of colour, and then “roughly” smooth the surfaces with a large soft brush.

Start with your shadow areas. Mix Burnt Umber and French Ultramarine Blue, Titanium White with a touch of Cadmium Yellow Medium, and block in the shadows.

You need to look at your image in a “layered” way. In other words, separate the shadows from the mid-tones and the highlights. Sometimes this process requires more than 3 “colours” – don’t be scared of breaking the layers into 3 or 5 or even more increments.

Mix up your mid-tones using a mix of the above colours plus Titanium White, with a touch more Burnt Umber and Cadmium Yellow Medium. Then blend this colour into the shadows, using a cross-hatch technique, and then softening with a feather touch and a soft dry brush.

TIP: As the paint dries, you can add TINY amounts of water to your brush to aid the blending process.

Too much and you’ll make a “hole” in your paint.

Starting with a giant pile of White, we now mix up our highlight colour, adding a tiny amount of the above mix (so this colour is almost pure White).

We paint this highlight colour (remembering that we’re still only blocking in) in the appropriate places and using the same process as above to roughly soften and blend.

The next stage is pretty much a repeat of the above. This time we take much more care with the blending of each area of the fabric. You should have a lovely smooth transition from light to darker.

If you’re using Atelier Interactive, and you find that the paint has begun to dry and won’t blend smoothly, don’t panic! Grab your Unlocking Fluid (in a fine mist spray bottle) and mist the fluid over the areas in your painting that are becoming sticky. (Gotta love a product that makes things easier).

Now go back to your previously draped fabric. LOOK VERY CLOSELY. See if you can see if there is light being reflected from anywhere. You can often see it on the edge of a fold – it may be a blueish colour from light entering from outside, or it may be a gold from the light bouncing off the highlights on the fabric.

Adding these highlights to your painting is a relatively simple exercise, and adds realism and nuance to your fabric painting.

Get a soft, dry brush, and load it with the appropriate “reflection” colour, and very subtly apply it. The brush needs to be very dry, and your touch, very soft. It is better to build this colour in subtle increments. This will prevent you from overdoing it in a way that makes it difficult to recover.

You should now have a lovely smooth transition in your fabric with some subtle nuance.

More interest, more colour, more depth. EVERY time you pick up a brush, you improve.

Let’s have even more fun painting fabric!

Paint a canvas entirely with a bright pink, turquoise, or any other luminous colour that takes your fancy.

(There are a whole heap of theories about which colour you should use as a ground. For some more ideas on painting impressionistically, click here).

Using the same colour mixes as the previous exercise, loosely block in the shadows, leaving flecks of the ground showing through.

Grab the mid-tone colour, and loosely apply in the same way, roughly blending the colours together, leaving the ground to show through here and there.

Repeat this process for the highlights. Done and done.

This loose approach creates a little bit of movement and colour, and requires a little less “finesse” and “finishing”. Great fun. AND fast. Uses less paint too. Winning!

This is the beginning of the process of learning how to paint fabric. Once you feel comfortable with this, start investigating how to paint fabric with patterns and different sheen levels and colours.