mini lesson | Artful Passages

This “mini-lesson” shows step-by-step how I painted a pansy in watercolor.

I begin by sketching the pansy with an HB pencil. Make sure your drawing is accurate. Lighten the pencil lines by dabbing at them with a kneaded eraser. Contrary to what most books say, once wet these lines can’t be erased completely.

Using liquid frisket and a cheap brush coated with standard bar soap, mask out small detail areas which you wish to remain white. When the frisket is dry it will look and feel a bit like dried rubber cement.
Mix the following puddles (a puddle is paint mixed with enough water to dilute it to the desired value):

Glaze water over a petal until it glistens evenly; drop in the following colors and combinations based on where they can be seen in the petal): cobalt blue+alizarin; permanent rose, alizarin + new gamboge, and aurelion.
While the first petal is drying, follow the same process on a petal which does not touch it (remember we don’t want wet paint to touch an area that is drying).

After the base washes are completed on all 4 petals paint the dark purple sections following these steps:

Using a fully loaded brush paint the dark area
Then pull color out from the center of the dark area using a rigger brush to create the veins.
* Use thicker puddles of both cool and warm mixes of French ultramarine + alizarin crimson for this area.

Add highlights to the edges of the petals by glazing over the base washes with the same mixtures.
Rub off the frisket and add a light tint of yellow below the center part of the flowers. Leave the two white areas on the center of the right and left petals.
Paint the base washes of the stem and leaves.

Glaze water over the leaves and stem until they glisten evenly; drop in the following colors: Sap green, hookers green _ cobalt blue, and Winsor green + Hooker’s + new gamboge
Add highlights by rewetting each darker area and painting a second glaze over it using the same mixes as were used in the base.

If you have any questions, please add a comment below or grab me via the contact form.

Thanks,

This “mini-lesson” shows step-by-step how I painted a hummingbird from one of my photos.

I begin by sketching the hummingbird with an HB pencil. Make sure your drawing is accurate! Lighten the pencil lines by dabbing at them with a kneaded eraser. (Contrary to what most books say, once wet, these lines can’t be erased completely)

I then mix the following puddles (a puddle is paint mixed with enough water to dilute it to the desired value):

For the eyes, feet, and beak use the Ultramarine/Payne’s Gray / Alizarin mixture. Leave the white highlights untouched.
For the back of the bird paint the Winsor Blue/Viridian mixture. While it’s still wet add Sap Green next to it, letting the colors bump each other.
For the belly, let Sap Green bump into the Cobalt Blue/Brown Madder (warm) puddles, letting the colors blend alongside each other.
For the wing and head, use both the warm and cool Cobalt/Brown Madder mixtures; then drop a little Sap Green into them while still wet.
The rosy area under the belly is painted with Alizarin/New Gamboge.

Allow all initial washes to dry! Never paint into an area that has started to dry.

Use the Sepia/Ultramarine mixture for dark highlights on the beak and feet as well as in the eye.
For wing highlights use the cool Brown Madder/Cobalt mixture.

If you have any questions, please add a comment below!

Thanks,

Artful Passages