Watercolor Painting Tutorial – Change Colors for a Different Effect
About Steve Fleming
Good art is the result of hard work and dedication. It only happens when the artist finds his or her own story to tell and then learns to do so with his or her own unique language.
I am an artist who works in watercolor and acrylic, and I teach both for The Art League in Alexandria, Virginia, as well as workshops across the country and abroad. My goal as an artist is to be creative; my goal as a teacher is to help my students learn to interpret the world around them, not to promote the belief the goal of art is the perfect rendering of a subject. One of my core messages: art is a creative process and is not just the sum total of the work we sell. In this era of digital cameras, I caution artists to look — really look both inside and outside — for the subject matter that lights our artistic fires. Otherwise, our work will be lacking everything but technique.
Plein Air Painting in Watercolor
By Sue Doucette
Once you have arrived at your location and found a subject you like, begin by making two or three “thumbnail” pencil sketches, being sure to state your values clearly. (Values are your lights and darks. Three to four shades between white and your darkest dark are enough. These quick drawings will guide you as you are painting.) This is the time to clarify your composition as well. These drawings are quick and spontaneous and should measure about 3″ or 4″ square. After you’ve completed your thumbnails choose the one you like the best, then set up your equipment. Now you are ready to paint.
Set up your work station so you are not looking directly into the sun. Clip your paper to your board in preparation for sudden gusts of wind and keep your thumbnail sketch handy. Remember when painting with watercolor, to leave the white paper where your whites will go, then sketch your subject matter onto your watercolor paper. It is helpful to spray the back of your paper with water before painting. This will keep it from curling up when the front becomes wet.
Watercolor Painting Tutorial – Abstracting the Shapes, Simplifying the Message
About Steve Fleming
Good art is the result of hard work and dedication. It only happens when the artist finds his or her own story to tell and then learns to do so with his or her own unique language.
I am an artist who works in watercolor and acrylic, and I teach both for The Art League in Alexandria, Virginia, as well as workshops across the country and abroad. My goal as an artist is to be creative; my goal as a teacher is to help my students learn to interpret the world around them, not to promote the belief the goal of art is the perfect rendering of a subject. One of my core messages: art is a creative process and is not just the sum total of the work we sell. In this era of digital cameras, I caution artists to look — really look both inside and outside — for the subject matter that lights our artistic fires. Otherwise, our work will be lacking everything but technique.
How to Mix Grays in Watercolor for Atmospheric Perspective
About Mara
I enjoy being an artist! And I’ve been at it longer than this internet blogging stuff. In fact, blogging is all new to me! So I will start by telling you a little about myself. Our nest is not quite empty because we still enjoy the presence of our college-aged kids at home. And because they are busy with work and school I am able to enjoy uninterrupted painting sessions during the day-light hours instead of in the middle of the night like I did when they were little. A bit here, a bit there and I keep my projects alive! One project I’m working on is a cookbook. Originally written for my husband and children, I re-structure classic recipes we love, to make them healthier. I’m also writing and illustrating a series of children’s books. Finding time to Draw, paint, and teach has been a challenge while raising a family but finishing a project is very rewarding to me. And I hope you like my artwork and lessons and enjoy watching my progress with various projects!
Please follow this link to visit Mara’s website to view more of her art lessons.
Watercolor Techniques – My Simple 3 Step Process
The first step is to apply water to the region you wish to paint and then allow the moisture to be absorbed into the paper.
Next, while the paper is still barely damp from step one, i.e. the sheen of the surface has just disappeared, lay in another light wash of clear water.
In the 3rd and final step of the Priming Method, while the previous wash is still wet and shiny, lay in your pigmented wash. Before moving on to apply further washes it is extremely important to ensure your watercolor paper is BONE DRY.
The Looser You Get, The More Real It Seems: Watercolor Demonstration
About Debi Watson
I showed talent with my drawing from an early age, but my parents discouraged me in the hope ‘that I would pursue something more productive’.
I spent much of my adult life working as a operating room nurse, but couldn’t abandon my love for painting. Working long hours and raising two children didn’t leave me with much free time, but I still managed to paint whenever I got the chance.
Starting Life As A Watercolor Artist
Watercolor Rose Painting Tutorial – Heidi Klum Rose
About Doris Joa
My name is Doris Joa and I am an artist from Germany.
My mediums are watercolor and oil. One of my special favorite subjects are Roses and figurative work. I paint roses and also other flowers in oil and watercolor. Beside Pansies, Rhododendron, Peonies, Daisies and Tulips, there are a lot of roses in my gallery on my website like Heidi Klum Rose, Sangerhauser Jubiläumsrose, Rose “Mein schöner Garten”, Rose Golden Celebration from David Austin, Rose Innocencia, Rose New Dawn, Rose Clair Renaissance, Rose Queen Mother, Rose Bonita Renaissance and more.
My goal is to paint in romantic realism. I am also doing figurative work, portraits, still lifes and in 2005 I have started a new series of colourful Horse paintings in oil. I also have started with doing postcard paintings in 4?x6? and other small studies .
Painting Demonstration in Watercolor and Gouache
About Doug
Doug Purdon was born in Toronto, Ontario. He is a full-time painter, teacher and writer. He is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and an elected member of the Society of Canadian Artists and Ontario Society of Artists. He currently lives in Toronto with his wife, the writer Rosemary Aubert.
He exhibits his work in galleries in Canada, the US and the UK and his paintings are in many private and corporate collections, including The Toronto Public Library, The City of Toronto, The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto, Sears Canada, and The Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic CT, where his painting Tugboat Alley was awarded the Museum Purchase Award in 2005. A major retrospective of his work was held in October 2007 at the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto.
Doug believes that artists should continue the tradition of passing on their skills and knowledge to other artists and does this through his workshops, seminars and writing. He currently teaches courses at Loyalist College, Belleville, Ontario; Bridgewater Retreat, Tweed, Ontario; and the School of Continuing Studies, University of Toronto and in workshops for art associations across Canada.
While he paints his native Ontario, he also enjoys travelling to different locations and has painted in Scotland, England, France, and the American Southwest and on the eastern and western seaboard of North America. He is represented by Studio 737, Tweed, Ontario; Arnold Fine Art, Newport RI; and the Gallery at Mystic Seaport, Mystic CT.
Watercolor Techniques – Painting Trees
These quick exercises from world renowned architectural illustrator and fine art watercolorist Frank M. Costantino demonstrate different watercolor techniques for painting trees. Learn more about Frank and his seminars at www.fmcostantino.com
Many beginner watercolor artists have a great deal of trouble with painting believable trees in their landscape paintings. The following videos should help you a great deal as Frank really breaks things down in an easy to understand manner with the following watercolor painting technique videos.
Part 1
Watercolor Painting Lesson – How To Paint With 4 Pigments
About Cyrille
Once upon a time … August 96, weary of the ordinary pleasures of the seaside, I left my wife and children playing on the beach and went to write a few letters to our friends in France. My children’s felt pens were lying on the table, so I used them to sketch a few scattered scenes to illustrate my letters. I sent out about 20 letters. Back home, at the end of the holidays, I received a very enthusiastic phone call : “your letter was great and we absolutely loved your drawings ! You should become an artist”. In the space of a few days, I received 18 identical phone calls. Eighteen ! That’s a lot !
“Bet I will !”
It was then and there that I decided to become a painter before even having touched a single paint brush. I started with my wife’s watercolor box, my kid’s gouache paint brushes and began my own experimenting. Not taking a few watercolor lessons and learning it all on my own could be considered a total waste of time, but instead, I just see the good side of it: I created my own style !
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