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Overview
Unleash Your Creativity with 50 No-Sketch Watercolor Projects
From a classic dogwood rose, to a sly fox, to feathers that take on a dreamy quality, you can create polished artwork in just a few easy steps—no sketching required. Dana Fox, creator of Wonder Forest, is known for her unique and whimsical sense of style, and her popular watercolor workshops have introduced thousands to the joys of painting.
In Watercolor With Me in the Forest, Dana provides light outlines of each project, and every page is printed on premium art paper, so you can focus on the watercolor techniques—wet-on-dry, wet-on-wet, painting fur and ink and wash. Even if you’ve never picked up a paintbrush before, Dana’s creative tricks will ensure that every piece of art is frame-worthy.
Whether you’re looking to try a new style, learn the basics or find a new way to de-stress, this step-by- step guide makes it easier than ever to create stunning art.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781624145575 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Page Street Publishing |
| Publication date: | 08/14/2018 |
| Sold by: | Macmillan |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 192 |
| File size: | 26 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
WET ON DRY
The first paintings in this book are done using a wet-on-dry technique. This simply means that the paper is not wet prior to touching your brush to it.
Wet on dry allows you to have more control over where your paint goes, and it allows you to add detail and achieve sharp, crisp lines.
When painting on a dry surface, you want to make sure that your brush is holding enough water so the paint mixture can flow freely. Without enough water in your mix, you'll end up with a dry brush effect.
With all watercolor techniques, the amount of water versus pigment (paint) will determine how light or dark the color appears on your paper. The more water, the more translucent the paint will be — thus making it lighter in color. The less water, the more opaque or vibrant the color will appear.
Wet on dry is also a technique used when you want to build up layers, adding paint to dry layers of previously painted areas. You can create textures and finer details this way because you have control over the placement and don't have to worry about the paint flowing into other areas.
On the opposite page, fill in each square with a mix of your paint and water. Start with a very diluted mixture (more water with less pigment), and gradually increase the amount of pigment (less water) in each box.
Then, fill in the circle with a single light color. Let it dry completely. Now, apply a second layer onto the bottom half to see how building layers can increase the intensity or darkness of the painting.
Acorns
Acorns have a lot of texture to them. Using shadows, highlights and lines to mimic that look is what you'll try to do here.
By using different shades of brown, you'll create layers of wet-on-dry washes to really build up those darker areas. The bottom half of the acorns should appear "streaky" like the texture of a real acorn.
Colors
YELLOW OCHRE
RAW UMBER
BURNT UMBER
Supplies
Round brush (size 6 works well)
3 colors of paint
1. Working on the bottom half of the acorns first, fill the areas with a light wash of Raw Umber mixed with Yellow Ochre.
2. After a few minutes, once dry, add a second wash of the same color. Try to mimic the streaky texture of an acorn by painting light lines from the top of the area to the bottom point.
3. Add another layer using Burnt Umber around the bottom, top and sides of the acorn. You can blend any harsh edges out with water.
4. Fill the acorn tops with a light wash of Burnt Umber, and then apply additional layers as you did previously, darkening shadowed areas such as the center and sides of the tops.
5. Let the previous layer dry once again, and create a scale-like pattern in the top of the acorns with a thin brush tip and Burnt Umber. Try to keep the paint lighter in areas where the paint is lighter, and darker where the shadows have formed.
6. Fill in the acorn stems with Burnt Umber and you're done!
Caterpillar
Caterpillars come in a variety of colors, so feel free to use whatever hues speak to you for this exercise!
The black details can be done with ink instead of paint, if you prefer. White accents can be added with a white pen or a more opaque paint such as acrylic or gouache.
Colors
SAP GREEN
RAW UMBER
IVORY BLACK
YELLOW OCHRE
Supplies
Fine brush (size 2 or 3 works well)
4 colors of paint
Black ink pen (optional)
White gel pen (optional)
1. Start by filling in every other stripe with your main color, in this case Sap Green.
2. Once dry, paint the tree branch using Raw Umber, and add a darker shade of Raw Umber mixed with Ivory Black under the caterpillar for a shadow.
3. Using Yellow Ochre, add dabs of the color to each blank stripe along the body.
4. Once the yellow is dry, go in with a black ink pen or Ivory Black paint and fill the remaining areas beside the yellow spots to create the spotted stripes.
5. You can now add leaves to your tree branch. Finish the feet with black, adding white highlights afterwards.
Fern
Fern leaves are a great accent piece to add to any painting, and they are so easy to create! The leaf shapes require a steady hand with light pressure and a pointed tip, especially when working on a small-scale piece. They only require one color, but you can add interest by mixing another shade with your main color to obtain a true watercolor effect.
Colors
HOOKER'S DARK GREEN
BURNT UMBER
Supplies
Fine tipped round brush (size 6 pointed)
2 colors of paint
1. Start by painting the middle stem using a fine tipped brush and a mix of Hooker's Dark Green and Burnt Umber. The consistency shouldn't be too watery as it will be harder to get a thin line with more water.
2. Paint the stems of the leaves branching off from the main stem while it is still wet. This will allow those stems to blend into the mainone seamlessly.
3. Starting at the top of the main stem, paint a small upside-down teardrop shape with the same green shade, followed by two on either side.
4. Add teardrop shapes to each leaf stem. For interest, you can dot on a darker shade of your mix to some of the leaves while they are wet.
Ladybug
This ladybug is created using two shades of red and a little bit of white pencil for highlight details. The center of the back appears darker and gets lighter as the color moves out toward the edges. You can use black paint or a black pen for the black details.
Colors
CRIMSON
INDIAN RED
IVORY BLACK
Supplies
Round brush (size 6 works well)
3 colors of paint
White pencil
Black ink pen, optional
1. Start by filling the body of the ladybug with Crimson red. Make this a light wash as it will just be the base for the following layers.
2. Let the base layer dry for a few minutes. Apply a second layer, this time adding a more pigmented Indian Red to the top center of the back. Using less water will result in higher pigmentation.
3. Let the paint dry once again. Then, fill in the black portions such as the head and legs with either Ivory Black paint or an ink pen. Make sure to leave the white details on the head untouched.
4. Add spots to the back, and finish by adding a few white highlights to the red as pictured.
Clovers
The green tones in these clovers are all created using the same color, by adding more or less water to increase or decrease the intensity. The more water you add, the lighter the green will appear, whereas the less water you add, the more pigmented it will be. Use a fine brush or a round brush with a thin pointed tip for the veins.
Colors
HOOKER'S DARK GREEN
YELLOW OCHRE
RAW UMBER
Supplies
Round pointed brushes (sizes 1 and 5)
3 colors of paint
1. Using a light wash of Hooker's Dark Green mixed with a touch of Yellow Ochre to make it more of a yellow-green shade, fill in the leaves completely.
2. Continue to the stems, using a light hand and thin brush tip.
3. After a few minutes of letting the paint dry, add another slightly darker wash of the green mixture to one half of the leaves, and down the stem for a shadow-like appearance.
4. Mix a little bit of Raw Umber with Yellow Ochre and water to get a beige tone. Fill in the buds.
5. Once those layers are dry, add lines to the leaves with a darker green tone, and outline the buds with a darker tone of your beige mixture.
Flowers
There are many different types of flowers and many techniques to paint them, but perhaps the easiest method is wet on dry. This allows you to control your paint and where you place it, and it also makes adding outlines easy.
Colors
YELLOW OCHRE
ROSE
INDIAN RED
HOOKER'S DARK GREEN
Supplies
Round pointed brush (size 6 works well)
4 colors of paint
1. Start by painting the petals individually using mixtures of Yellow Ochre, Rose and Indian Red. A little Yellow Ochre added to Indian Red will produce an orange shade. Rose mixed with Indian Red will tone down the pink hue a little as well. Experiment with different mixtures of color to find ones you love!
2. After a few minutes, once dry, paint the center areas of each flower using Yellow Ochre. Fill in the leaves with a mix of Hooker's Dark Green and Yellow Ochre.
3. With a shade darker than your petals, paint outlines around each petal. Add broken lines to the inside of each one. Add dots to the centers of the flowers as well.
4. Using a darker shade of the leaf color, add the line detailing to the leaves.
5. Finish by adding more dots or details to the petals as you see fit!
Monarch
A Monarch butterfly has a lot of little details that are a lot of fun to color in. When using the black, you may need to go over your first layer to make it darker since the paint will dry lighter.
By filling in each orange section separately, you can create unique washes for each area as opposed to filling in the entire wing as a whole.
Colors
YELLOW OCHRE
BURNT SIENNA
IVORY BLACK
Supplies
Round brush (size 3 works well) or fine brush
3 colors of paint
White gel pen or white gouache
1. Mix together a little Yellow Ochre with Burnt Sienna and water for a yellow-based orange.
2. Fill each wing section with the mixed color, making sure not to touch the sections together with the paint. To do this, leave small spaces of exposed paper in between each orange section.
3. When the paint is dry after a few minutes, paint the black outlines and body with Ivory Black using the tip of your brush or a fine brush, covering any exposed paper spaces that were left.
4. Once the piece is completely dry, add the white dots with a white gel pen or white gouache.
Tree
You can layer different areas using a stippling technique by creating dot-like strokes with your brush. This increases the intensity or darkness of a color. This allows the leaves of the tree to appear to have shadows and highlights, all while using the same color throughout.
Using just two colors for the leaves and the trunk, you can quickly create this simple tree.
Colors
BURNT UMBER
HOOKER'S DARK GREEN
Supplies
Round brush (size 6 works well)
2 colors of paint
1. Begin by painting on a light wash of Burnt Umber to the trunk. As the base layer dries, go back in with a more pigmented mix of Burnt Umber and add the line details and dark areas to the trunk.
2. Move on to the top of the tree and begin stippling in some leaves using a lighter wash of Hooker's Dark Green paint diluted with water.
3. Once the layer is dry, add another layer of stippled leaves using a slightly more pigmented mix of paint (less water). Continue stippling and darkening your mix until you are happy with how it looks and until the white space is nearly filled.
4. After your leaves are fully dry, add indications of the branches peeking through the leaves with Burnt Umber. Add shadow detailing to the trunk with the same color.
Moth
This moth has a lot of fine details, but is created using just a few colors and a fine tipped brush.
The wings are created using a very watery mix of color with darker shades dropped in for texture. The fine lines are added once the first layer has dried.
Colors
RAW UMBER
BURNT UMBER
HOOKER'S DARK GREEN
Supplies
Round brush (size 6 works well)
3 colors of paint
Fine detail brush
1. Start by filling the wings with a light wash of Raw Umber, dropping in darker shades (less water) of the same color to the wet areas for texture.
2. Do the same with the body using a light wash of Burnt Umber. Let both areas dry completely for a few minutes.
3. Using a darker mix of Burnt Umber and the tip of your brush, wiggle a few vertical lines down the top wings.
4. With a fine detail brush and Burnt Umber, create small, short strokes on the body to create the horizontal lines and furry texture.
5. With the same brush and Burnt Umber, lightly draw fine veiny lines down the wings and add the antenna.
6. For the leaves and twig, mix Hooker's Dark Green with Burnt Umber and fill in the areas. Let dry completely. Finish off the veins in the leaves with Burnt Umber and the fine detail brush.
Dogwood Rose
Wildflowers help add a bit of a dainty touch to the woods with their pastel shades and soft petals.
This dogwood rose looks super feminine amongst the pointy leaves, and it is a pretty quick piece to complete.
Colors
YELLOW OCHRE
HOOKER'S DARK GREEN
ROSE
MAUVE
Supplies
Round brush (size 6 works well)
4 colors of paint
Fine detail brush
1. Starting with the leaves, mix a little bit of Yellow Ochre with Hooker's Dark Green to tone down the green. Fill your first leaf with the shade and, while the paint is still wet, drag out little pointed strokes using a detail brush around the edges.
2. Paint all of the leaves this way. Then add the stems using the detail brush once again.
3. After waiting a few minutes for the leaves to dry, use a slightly more pigmented (less water) mix of the same green and add the vein lines to the leaves.
4. For the flower, mix up a touch of Rose with Mauve and a good amount of water to create a diluted, pastel shade. Fill one petal at a time with the color, allowing each one to dry before moving onto the next.
5. To add darker details and shadows to the petals, apply a darker (less water) mix of the same shade around the petal edges. Dry off your brush and run it along the wet edges to blend out the color.
6. Let the whole painting dry. Then add the center dot details using Yellow Ochre.
Mushroom
Mushrooms come in so many varieties, colors and shapes. These red ones stand out in nature, making them tempting to incorporate into your decor.
Instead of picking them, why not try painting some to hang on your wall?!
Colors
INDIAN RED
BURNT UMBER
RAW UMBER
HOOKER'S DARK GREEN
Supplies
Round brush (size 6 works well)
4 colors of paint White gel pen
Fine detail brush
1. Starting with the tops of the mushrooms, fill the entire area with Indian Red. Let dry for a few minutes.
2. Add a touch of Burnt Umber to your Indian Red mixture. Now, add some shadow areas to the middle, edges and top of the small mushroom.
3. For the stems, mix a tiny amount of Raw Umber with water for an off-white shade and paint them. After letting the stems dry, darken the Raw Umber mixture with more paint and apply light streaks to the base.
4. The top stem can be darkened using a more concentrated mix of Raw Umber and Burnt Umber. Using Burnt Umber for your shadow areas, create darkness under the mushroom tops and along the edges of the top of the stem.
5. When the mushrooms are dry, paint in the grass with Hooker's Dark Green mixed with Burnt Umber and use a fine detail brush for long, thin blades of grass.
6. Using a white gel pen, add the white spots to the tops.
Cabin
Paint your own rustic getaway! This cabin in the woods is the perfect place to let your mind wander.
The trees behind the cabin are simplified and freehanded, bringing attention to the cabin itself. A few colors are all you need to start painting it.
Colors
HOOKER'S DARK GREEN
BURNT UMBER
RAW UMBER
PAYNE'S GREY
Supplies
Round brush (size 6 works well)
4 colors of paint white paint
Fine detail brush
1. Start by creating loose trees in the background by using your brush to stipple various shades of Hooker's Dark Green mixed with the brown shades. Add the tree trunks.
2. For the roof, mix a ratio of 1:1 water and Burnt Umber and apply it to the whole area. Let dry for a few minutes.
3. With a more pigmented shade of Burnt Umber (less water) shade the center line where the middle and right-side roof connect, as well as the left-side roof.
4. Paint the cabin walls and deck with Raw Umber. Let dry.
5. Fill the darker areas with Payne's Grey, such as the underside of the roof, the windows, and the corner where the two walls meet.
6. The roof should be dry now, so stipple on some green for a mossy effect, followed by Burnt Umber for dimension.
7. With the walls dry, use a thin detail brush to paint the wood panel lines across the exterior. Add white highlights to the windows and some of the edges of the cabin with white paint.
8. Paint the ground green and finish the pathway rock details with alternating brown and grey shades.
CHAPTER 2WET ON WET
Wet on wet is the process of adding paint to an already wet surface. You can do this in two ways:
• Coat your paper with water and apply paint to it
• Apply more paint to an area that contains wet paint
With this method, the results you'll experience are less crisp than the wet-on-dry method, and you'll find the application isn't as controlled.
With wet on wet, you're giving up control, and you're letting the paint and water do what they like.
To practice this technique before diving into the next projects, take a look at the page beside this one.
Using a brush, wet the moon shape entirely with clean water so the paper is shiny. While the paper is still wet, get some paint on your brush and touch it to the wet area.
Try again with another color; dabbing it on and watching it expand. You can coax it along the wet area with your brush too!
Now, tilt the paper and let the colors blend together. You'll see that the paint only flows to where the paper had been wet and not outside of those boundaries.
If you've got the hang of it, jump right into the next projects!
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Watercolor With Me In The Forest"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Dana Fox.
Excerpted by permission of Page Street Publishing Co..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Title Page,
Copyright Notice,
Dedication,
Introduction,
Projects,
WET ON DRY,
Acorns,
Caterpillar,
Fern,
Ladybug,
Clovers,
Flowers,
Monarch,
Tree,
Moth,
Dogwood Rose,
Mushroom,
Cabin,
WET ON WET,
Chickadee,
Feathers,
Maple Leaf,
Snail,
Hummingbird,
Bluebird,
Tortoise,
Squirrel,
Leaves,
Wild Roses,
Daisies,
Trout,
PAINTING FUR,
Hedgehog,
Bumblebee,
Bear,
Skunk,
Chipmunk,
Fawn,
Raccoon,
Rabbit,
Coyote,
Beaver,
Fox,
INK AND WASH,
Dragonfly,
Mountain Ash Leaf,
Stoat,
Salamander,
Pinecone,
Mouse,
Raspberries,
Tree Frog,
Owl,
Grasshopper,
Trillium,
Wolf,
Titmouse,
Lily Pad,
Index,
About the Author,
Copyright,