Intricate watercolor drawings. Brushes for watercolor paint

Hi all! You really asked me to publish watercolor painting lessons, and I thought for a long time where to find suitable material, because this topic is not new, and there is already a lot of different information on the Internet, so I decided not to invent, but to use the materials of foreign authors. This article is the first, but not the last. I hope you enjoy it and find it useful!

This article covers the basics you need to know to get started with watercolor. However, if you keep scratching your head after reading this, then please feel free to ask questions in the comments! I will answer you with pleasure!

Before I started writing this article, I decided to do a little research on the Internet on painting watercolor for beginners. That way, I reasoned, I wouldn't miss a single moment and write a better post. But good God.. I've been painting with watercolors all my life, and the information I found on Google stunned me. After three too long mind-boggling articles, I threw up my hands and decided that I would show you how I, personally, work with watercolor - and the adjective for my watercolor approach is “simple”.

Tools and materials

First, I want to talk about the materials and tools that you will need. Of course, the most obvious tool would be a watercolor set.

I prefer the set from Greenleaf & Blueberry. It's a little pricey, but I love it! However, if you are just starting out, there is no need to invest in expensive kits.

Advice from the site:

Go to the nearest art store and buy an art set of watercolor paints that suits your price, as long as it is not for children 😉

If you live in the outback, where it is difficult to find such a product, then you can order a set through an online store. So that you can navigate by cost, I throw off examples of sets that are easy to find in our country:

Finally, you will need pure water and fabric(I use an old dinner napkin) or paper towel to blot the brush.

Any dish will do, I use an old mug.

Watercolor transparency

The great thing about painting with watercolors is that you have complete control over the transparency of the paint. Watch how one color can change depending on the ratio of water and paint on the brush!

The picture on the left shows what a stroke looks like when there is a lot of water and a little paint. In the illustration in the middle, a more equal ratio of water and paint. On the right picture more paint than water.

You might be thinking, “That’s all well and good, but how can I control this water/paint ratio?” Before you do anything, apply a drop or two of water directly to the cuvette you plan to use. This will dampen the paint and make it ready to go. Then, you can do one of two things:

1. Use a palette
You can take a palette and mix three different shades of the same color on it. For the first color, use the brush to apply about eight drops of water into the indentation. Then, dip the still wet brush into the already dampened watercolor, and transfer the color to the palette.

Apply about five drops of water to the second recess. Again, dip the still wet brush into the watercolor and transfer the color into the water. Be sure to shake the brush so that all the paint comes off it! If this new color very similar to your first one, add more paint.

For the darkest shade, you'll just be working directly with paint from the pan, the shade should be very saturated.

2. We work directly from the watercolor set
You can use the concentration of water on the brush to control the tone of the paint. If you want a very light shade, dampen the brush well with water and touch the tip of the brush to the paint. If, when transferring to paper, you find that the concentration of the paint is too high, dip the brush into the water again, and apply this water directly to the paint on the paper. The color will become more transparent! For midtones, you'll still be painting with a wet brush, but with more paint. For dark tones, I blot the brush with a tissue (it will still be damp, but not saturated), and then I take the paint directly from the set.

Mixing

The reason we learned about transparency is the blending and overlaying of colors. By using various shades one color you can make any image real. I'm going to show you how to turn a circle into a ball using watercolor blending and transparency:

1. First, draw a circle of the lightest shade.

2. Assume the light is in the upper right side as shown in the picture. Accordingly, the shadow will be in the lower left corner of the circle. To start painting the shadow, take your medium shade with a brush. Draw the shadow as if it is "embracing" the circle in the form of a crescent, like this:

3. You can see that there is now a certain separation between the shadow and the light part. To get rid of this difference and create a smooth transition, you need to mix the colors together - this is simple task when painting with watercolors! To mix, dip the brush in water to wash any remaining paint off the brush. Dry the brush to make sure all the paint is gone, then wet the bristles of the brush again with water. Then, put the brush on the separation between the shadow and the light part and drag the middle shade with water, it will blur. Soon, you won't be able to tell where the midtone and light ends and where the shadow begins!

4. Now it's time to add a dark shadow to the bottom of the circle. Go with a darker shade around the bottom of the sphere, as in the photo.

5. Mix the dark shade the same way you did with the medium shade, and voila!

6. You can add a drop shadow if you like. To do this, draw thin line on the opposite side of the light under the sphere, like this:

Then, you need to draw the color with a brush dipped in water until it disappears.

You may find it easier to understand the concept of blending/shading if you watch the video:

If you want to practice mixing and shaping more, I would recommend drawing these shapes in different colors:

You could make a sphere green, a cube blue, etc. Drawing shapes like these helps you understand how to make objects look three-dimensional. Yes, it can be a bit boring... but so rewarding!

Mixing watercolor

To mix watercolor, you definitely need a palette, whether it's built into your kit or standalone. The process of mixing colors is simple: you need to put one color on the palette, and then add another color. Mix them together and you get a new color!

If you have a small selection of colors in a set, knowledge of blending will come in very handy. There are many sources that tell you what colors to mix together to achieve the desired result.

If your mixed color dries in your palette, don't worry. You can re-wet it and it will be as good as new, no matter how much time has passed.

Guys, we put our soul into the site. Thanks for that
for discovering this beauty. Thanks for the inspiration and goosebumps.
Join us at Facebook and In contact with

Watercolor is often called the most naughty, most capricious paint. It is difficult to work with it, it is difficult to store it, it is unpredictable and requires maximum concentration from the artist. But those who managed to conquer and tame it know the secret of creating truly amazing works, looking at which you ask the only question: “Who did they sell their soul to draw like that?”

website invites you to a gallery of truly atmospheric, bright and talented works. This is exactly what modern Art who is not ashamed to confess his love.

The emotional realism of Steve Hanks

The faces of people in most of the artist's paintings are darkened or turned to the side. This is done in order to express emotions and for the body to "speak". “I have always tried to show the world only the positive moments of life. I hope that my work brings joy, peace and comfort to the life of the viewer,” says Hanks.

Rainy watercolor Lin Ching Che

Talented artist Lin Ching-Che is 27 years old. He is inspired fall rain. Cloudy city streets cause the guy not longing and despondency, but a desire to pick up a brush. Lin Ching Che paints watercolor paintings. With colorful water, it sings of the rainy beauty of megacities.

Boiling fantasy of Arush Votsmush

Under the pseudonym Arush Votsmush hides talented painter from Sevastopol Alexander Shumtsov. The artist says this about his paintings: “I am not trying to prove anything to anyone with my work. First of all, I enjoy. It is pure creativity drug. Or pure life- without doping. It's just a miracle."

The charm of Paris in the works of Thierry Duval

Paris-born artist Thierry Duval has traveled extensively. Hence the presence of entire series of paintings on a “geographical basis”. Nevertheless, the author's favorite place was and remains Paris. The lion's share of works is dedicated to the city of lovers. He has his own technique of layering watercolor, which allows him to create paintings with almost hyper-realistic detail.

Evening Calm by Joseph Zbukvic

Today, Croatian-born Australian Joseph Zbukvic is considered one of the pillars of watercolor painting in the world. The artist fell in love with watercolor literally from the first stroke, he was struck by the innocence and individuality of this technique.

Secrets of the East through the eyes of Myo Wing Ong

The artist Myoe Win Aung devoted all his work to his native Burma, its everyday life and holidays, lay people and monks, towns and cities. This world is calm, dressed in gentle tones, mysterious and slightly pensive, like the smile of Buddha.

Incredible watercolor by Joe Francis Dowden

English artist Joe Francis Dowden paints hyper-realistic watercolors. And he believes that everyone can do it, you just need to know the secrets of technology. The secret of his inspiration is extremely simple: "Throw away watercolor textbooks and get lost in a real forest."

The Magic of Ballet by Liu Yi

The watercolors of this Chinese artist can be safely called art about art. After all, his favorite topic is the images of people who are directly related to him - for example, ballerinas or classical musicians. The way they are presented in the paintings is peculiar: people seem to emerge from a thin haze, emotional and very characteristic. To some extent, they echo the images of ballerinas. french artist Edgar Degas.

This article is intended for beginners, that is, for those who are going to start learning something new, since any road begins with the first step. Just start and take your time trying to enjoy the process of mastering your drawing skills! Watercolor painting is both enjoyable and a bit challenging. It all depends on your approach. Watercolor is one of the most versatile genres of painting, in which you can paint almost everything: from realistic concrete images to abstraction and impressionism. Beginners are advised not to start with the idea of ​​​​creating a masterpiece, but with small steps, gradually and slowly.

Before you feel completely comfortable with watercolors, you will have to paint a lot. Don't give up if your first attempts aren't as successful as you'd like. Mastering the technique of watercolor requires a lot of effort and time, but it's worth it!

So, let's begin!

Steps

Lay a sheet of thick paper on the table. Draw something very primitive with a simple pencil. For example, square or circle

Apply a small amount of watercolor in any color to the white surface of the palette.

Wet the brush a little. If the brush absorbs too much water, remove it with a cloth or shake it gently.

Drop a little water from the brush onto the paint previously applied to the palette. One or two drops are enough, no more.

Dip the brush into the paint with water formed on the palette and pick up a small amount of paint. Next, paint over the drawing on a piece of paper geometric figure. If the paint is too thick and doesn't smudge, dip the brush in water and try again. Keep experimenting with different amounts of water and paint in the mixture until you get the right consistency. If you want light dry shades with a "dry brush" effect, then you need less water. If you want juiciness and brightness, then, accordingly, more, etc. Completely paint over the geometric figure drawn on paper.

Let the drawing dry.

Take a piece watercolor paper and fix it on the drawing board with special adhesive tape. Use a large brush or sponge to dampen the entire surface of the paper sheet. After that, try applying a few strokes watercolor paint different colors. See what results are obtained with different degrees of paper moisture when applying ink of various colors.

If you use too damp paper, you can get a very smooth and light color. Paint of different colors is mixed on paper, allowing you to get new shades. Try applying a blue stripe next to a yellow or gold stripe on wet paper, and then a red stripe. You will see how the colors are mixed, creating uniform color transitions.

Try to give test pattern dry until the shine is gone and the paper is still damp. Now the applied stripes will still have soft edges, but will become a little more defined. After the paint is completely dry, add details with a damp brush on dry paper.

To begin with, try to depict a very simple subject that can be multi-colored. Mix some sky blue paint. Draw a sketch of the hills and the tree. First paint them with a wet brush wet paper. After that start adding some big details with a wet brush. Finally, when the paper is completely dry, add the smallest details with a wet brush on dry paper. That is, the larger the parts, the more wet the paper should be.

You can determine that the paper is completely dry by its temperature, which can be checked by holding the back of your hand over the paper, but without touching it. The leaf should not be cold. In order to acquire the skill of determining the temperature in this way, you will need to practice a little. But this is necessary, since any touch can lead to damage to the pattern and the appearance of grease stains from the skin of the palms on its surface. Do not remove the adhesive tape until the paper is completely dry. The tape helps keep the paper from curling, keeping it even and flat, eliminating unevenness caused by changes in humidity and ink exposure.

You can use ready-made watercolor blocks in which all four sides of the paper are glued like the top edge in a notebook. It is a little more expensive, but very convenient for a beginner.

Try applying light paint to the surface of the paper, and before the paint dries, sprinkle salt on it. You will get interesting effects that can be used to paint landscapes with snowflakes in the sky or lichen on the rocks.

Try drawing on paper in white or wax pencil, or with the tip of a candle to see how the lines appear when watercolor is applied to them.

Try cutting shapes out of sticky masking tape and painting over the resulting stencil to get a specific outline. Everything that is sealed with screen film will remain unpainted.

Always start your watercolor painting by painting in the darker areas and outlining the lighter areas. Isolate or mask everything that should remain white. Get used to the "negative image" as this will also help you get more accurate outlines of objects than if you draw them first and then stroke them with the background. Try starting your image of the cup with its surroundings and background behind the handle, leaving the details of the cup itself for last. You will feel a big difference in image accuracy!

Try applying the "glazing" technique. Once the watercolor is completely dry, mix in a small amount of paint in a contrasting shade and quickly paint over the area. This will change the color, and if you did it right, won't blur the image. Light golden paint applied by glazing on the illuminated areas of the landscape can make sunlight much more expressive.

1. Read books and articles on watercolor and try them for new ideas. Watch videos on YouTube and other portals to learn more about the methods watercolor painting. After that, try to draw something that you really like. interesting view painting is Sumi-E or Japanese painting ink, which perfectly transforms into watercolor drawings.

   • Many instructors begin their courses by teaching the wet-brush-on-wet-paper technique, but it is preferable to start with the most common technique, wet-brush-on-dry paper.
   • If you're using quality embossed watercolor paper (such as Arches), don't throw away your sketches or bad pictures made on it. You can always paint over them again with acrylic or gouache, or use it as a backdrop for a pastel painting. This paper will also look better whatever you draw on it, and if you draw something pretty, your painting will last longer and won't turn yellow.
   • Watercolor paints are produced in various forms: in tubes, in the form of a pencil or in cuvettes. There are also watercolor crayons. This article used watercolor from tubes.
   • Try to find the type of paper that suits your painting style. different types papers have different characteristics. Arches paper is free from most of the disadvantages and is the most versatile, even allowing you to wash off the watercolor image, dry it and reuse it.
   • If you are using paint in pans, do not throw them away after the paint runs out. You can always reuse the cuvettes by filling them with paint from tubes, after thoroughly washing them, and you will have the opportunity to fill the cuvettes with your favorite colors, without being guided by the standard sets in which the cuvettes are supplied.
   • Do not buy the most expensive paper or natural sable brushes. you can spend a large amount money to buy, but this is not necessary! Quality synthetic brushes, a small palette with good paint (artist paint is better than student paint) and 300g/m² cold-pressed paper is most suitable for beginners. Buy a few consumables to start with and gradually buy more as needed.
   • Cuvette sets are handy for painting outdoors or on the go. The paints in them are not easy to mix in large volumes, but they are very useful for working with a wet brush on dry paper. For travel, it is better to choose a brush with a sharp tip of medium or big size, included in the sets of paints in cuvettes. However, for drawing small parts You will need a smaller brush. For sketching while traveling, studying or lunch breaks, a pocket block of watercolor paper is suitable. Some kits (such as Winsor & Newton) include a water bottle, collapsible palette caps, and so on.
   • One of the best manufacturers watercolors is Winsor & Newton. The "Cotman" brand is designed specifically for beginner use. It is cheaper and therefore you can experiment in peace without fear of high costs. "Cotman" accessories from Winsor & Newton are of excellent quality and suitable for students.
   • The wet brush on wet paper method also works well before the wet brush on dry paper method within a single painting.

   Warnings

   • NEVER leave a brush in a jar of water with the bristles down. However, if you have a brush cleaner that has a coil spring, you can leave the brush in the water without the bristles touching the bottom of the can. If you have brushes made in China, try wringing them out with your fingers and hanging them on a stud or hook with a loop on the handle, this will allow the brush to maintain its optimal shape.
   • Do not use the same brushes for water-based paints (watercolor, acrylic, gouache) and oil paints (for oil painting, pastel). Once a brush has been used on oil paints once, it should always be used on that type of paint. Mark the brush handle with labeled tape to avoid confusion.
   • Wash your brushes with mild dish soap or a special brush cleaner (such as Masters Brush Cleaner & Conditioner). This will remove any residual paint, but some colors may remain. In addition, it will extend the life of the brushes.
   • Don't try to shape your brush with your lips. Use only your fingers. Be aware that some coloring pigments can be toxic and hazardous to health.

   What will you need

   • Several tubes of multi-colored watercolors
   • 640 g/m² watercolor paper that will not warp a large number water compared to other types of paper
   • Watercolor brushes - size 8
   • Two cans of water
   • A piece of white plastic or porcelain plate for the palette
   • A roll of paper towels or old clean rags.

If you apply a smear of one color on paper and, without letting it dry, put a second smear of a different color on top, they will begin to leak, mix, creating a colored spot.

Not every paper is suitable for such an experiment. Higher absorbency papers will simply absorb the ink before mixing, while papers with minimal absorbency will allow the ink to bleed to the maximum. After practice, you will become easier to use this technique and control the spread of paint.

If you don't succeed, you can always wash off the paint and start over. This technique is used not only by novice artists, but is also widely used in a professional environment for painting large objects like water and sky, as well as for local areas on the canvas.

The effects of paint smudges are almost impossible to repeat with a brush. This is what makes them unique. They can create the effect of a water surface by applying highly diluted paint to an already dried one, fresh paint will spread, forming a semblance of ripples on the water. True, the ability to determine whether the paint has dried enough on the first layer comes with experience.

Drawing materials

brushes

Watercolor painting tools must meet the following requirements:

1. Know how to absorb water well
2. Be flexible
3. Revert back to original shape
4. When drawing, the hairs should not bristle.

It should be remembered that watercolor brushes, unlike the rest, short handles.

Wide flat brush serves to remove excess paint or wipe it off due to its rigidity.

What traits make a woman attractive

20 Signs You've Found Your Perfect Guy

Is a man in love with you: 10 signs

Blur brush rather soft, large, serves to process the background. Better than others, it changes shape and holds water with paint without drying out.

Working brushes can be of any size, varying depending on the technique.

Paper

1. Drawing paper should be thick and not delaminate, otherwise, when removing excess water and paint, it may warp.
2. Paper must be white. On it, the colors of paints are most correctly visible.
3. The paper should be thick and well glued. Well-glued paper absorbs water more slowly and does not allow colors to lighten. Papers sold in packs of A3 sheets are most often poorly glued and suffer from excessive yellowness.
4. Grain (paper smoothness)

• Fine-grained paper is suitable for careful rendering of details. On it, the smear encounters almost no obstacles.
• Medium grain paper is the most common and suitable for all types of work.
• The coarse-grained surface of the paper is slightly rough, it has a distinct texture. Use it in very specific works. Often it is made by hand and it is famous for its high density.

5. Thin or grainless paper cannot be used, it warps during operation.

Paints

It's always best to go professional over regular school watercolors if you're in the mood for results.

Paints in baths require a little more effort to prepare them for drawing than all the others. To use them, you need to drop water from the brush into the bath so that the paints get a little wet. These paints are convenient in that you do not need to look for additional containers for them.

Paints in tubes suitable for more experienced artists. The master himself can form a palette according to needs, although ready set with a dozen tubes can be recommended to lovers.

Ten habits that make people chronically unhappy

Habits that will make you happy

What does the shape of your nose say about your personality?

Number of colors in the set there can be either twelve or thirty-six pieces, but not all of them are used. It will still be useful to mix different paints to find out which ones give unusual combinations. To work, you will need no more than ten frequently used paints.

In general, paints are divided into two types: warm and cold. Warm colors include yellow, orange and other colors based on red or yellow. Cold colors include colors with a predominant blue or purple tint. Green, purple, gray and black colors can be either cold or warm, depending on the characteristics of the color scheme and the influence of the environment. The colors blue, yellow, red are the main ones, the rest, obtained by mixing, are considered derivatives.

Let's draw a poppy

Painting with watercolors is more difficult than oil paints or gouache, but you can always try to create works full of tenderness and lightness. At the same time, and see how much easier it is to paint with watercolors after practice.

Transparency watercolor strokes adds himself White color paper. To correct watercolor work almost impossible, so try to act accurately.

First, mix some colors. To do this, wet a piece of paper with water and draw a brush with paint over the wet paper. Excess paint can be removed with a glass of water.

Draw with the tip of watercolor. Do not put pressure on it, let the paint spread, make a couple of strokes on top of the already applied paint. You should not mix more than three colors in one place, otherwise you will get dirty stains. Now let's get down to drawing.

Make a pencil sketch and move on to the background. Trying not to dry the paint, paint the background. The strokes should flow into each other, hiding the traces of the pencil on the paper. Use ocher, light green and yellow paints.

Wait for the background to dry and grab the petals. On the dampened paper, draw the light parts with yellow paint. Without waiting for drying, apply red paint to the petals. Do not paint over the entire petal, the paint will spread itself. Do not make the color too thick.
It remains to draw the leaves and green stems, add dark green shadows and the drawing is ready. You can draw a frame on it.

Watercolor, flowers. Artists' works

Anything can be painted with watercolor realistic portrait to imagined alien worlds. To many, watercolor seems to be a complex artistic tool. But all you really need to learn how to paint with watercolor is just to start. We have selected 11 tips for you, thanks to which you will become 11 steps closer to comprehending the art of watercolor painting.

1. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty!

If you've never painted before, it's time to get down to business. Open the album, create interesting textures and watercolor stains so as not to freeze in front of a white sheet. Start from them in search of a plot. Colored pages can be bright and exciting or create a calm, melancholy mood. Color or texture may suggest the next step - or maybe you can't wait to draw without them.

Illustration from the book The World of Watercolor.

2. Find your watercolor paper

The result of the work largely depends on the quality of the watercolor paper. Go to book store and choose pieces 5-10 different sheets watercolor paper for trial. Be sure to make notes on each sheet (type, weight of paper and the results of working with it). A suitable paper weight for beginners is 300 g/m2, some professionals prefer 600 g/m2. There are other types of watercolor paper, such as NOT paper and paper with a rough texture, or cold pressed paper.

@miftvorchestvo

3. Use professional paint

Even novice artists should purchase professional watercolor paints. Unlike cheap analogues, art paints lay down and spread beautifully on paper.

“I prefer tubes over cuvettes: firstly, you don’t have to wait until the paint softens and becomes usable, and secondly, it’s easier to create rich dark mixtures with tube paint.”Billy Showell

It is true that artistic paints are more expensive, but they will also last longer. They are better bred and therefore not consumed so quickly.

Advice. Test new colors and more art materials as often as possible. Experiment. Don't become a hostage to one habit

4. Observe and consider before taking up the brush

Before drawing, study the structure of the object. Take a look at it as if you were seeing it for the first time, carefully consider, take notes, sketch, get comfortable with textures and details that you never paid attention to. For example, watch the spiral arrangement of the leaves or the whorls along the veins of the stem.

You get a double benefit from drawing plants - first you meditate, looking at it, and then you get real pleasure from drawing. Isn't it wonderful? @miftvorchestvo

Try to mentally break down what you see. Select the main shapes. See how they overlap. Imagine the landscape as a stage setting. Pay attention to what is closest, what is farthest.

5. Learn to mix colors

Try mixing colors to see what shades you can achieve with your paint set. Mix two colors first, then add a third to them. Experiment!

You will love creating Beautiful colors and variations of shades and tones, their number is almost inexhaustible.

Focus on yourself. You can do or very realistic drawings or very non-trivial. Your task is to collect paints whose properties you will know, which will allow you to create the desired shades with a guaranteed good result.

By mixing pure pigments, you can create cool, warm, or greyish versions of a single color. Illustration from the book "Song of Color"

6. Start with economical expression

If you are making pencil sketches or sketches, you can diversify your watercolor drawings by making accents. It is not necessary to color the entire page; sometimes a few successful brush strokes create the most powerful effect.

Careless dotted strokes in watercolor in sketches are the signature style of Felix Scheinberger. Illustration from the book "Watercolor Sketching"

7. Use liquid watercolor primer

A liquid watercolor primer is applied to the paper before work begins and makes it easy to remove dried paint if necessary. This is especially important when working with intense or persistent pigments: you can not be afraid to “smudge” the paper in the highlight area. Before using it, practice in a sketchbook, as the surface for drawing will be quite slippery.

To remove paint from those areas where it was not needed (inadvertently went beyond the edges or you need to make highlights) - just wash off the paint with a clean, dampened brush or sponge.

8. Learn the art of glazing

Glaze artists call the technique of obtaining deep iridescent colors by applying translucent paints on top of the main one. The glazing technique is a great way to convey the finest color scheme. Paints are superimposed very delicately, layer by layer, and after drying, the details of the last layer are worked out.

Illustration from the book "Song of Color"

9. Dry brush technique

This technique can be used to paint animal fur or small hairs on fruits like kiwis.

Pick up the paint on the brush, remove the excess with a napkin. Straighten the brush hairs. Apply the paint to a dry surface previously painted in the background color. Work in small strokes in one direction, simulating the hairs on the surface.

Kiwi in the technique of dry brush. Illustration from the book