Watercolor is a wonderful medium to explore as it requires minimal materials, can be done with little set up and the results can be quite beautiful. One can use large puddles of color and big brushes, or go for something more delicate......you can layer colors or create blotchy backgrounds in one go. There really are so many things that one can do, ah yes, not to forget masking fluid, which i need to try soon as well. Of course, knowing how to simply paint lovely flowers and vines in very little time is a huge plus, as one can use this for so many things way beyond beautiful cards. Paint on fabric and make a tablecloth, make cutouts for decoration a cake, make large flowers to hang on the wall or as part of a garland......working with paper sometimes has its advantages, and of course one can take the techniques learned using watercolor and use them with gouche paint or acrylic paint as well as acrylic in and regular ink! Okay, lets learn how to make lovely flowers and leaves like the ones I've painted here, shall we?
You'll Need:
- watercolors, preferably from a tube, but truly anything that works works!
- round watercolor brushes that hold their shape, namely the sharp tip
- watercolor paper, or any paper for practicing first
How To;
Quite simply paint a stem, and then add leaves on each side using one stroke per leaf. The shade is made by either pushing down on the brush to flatten it, or starting with just the tip and then pressing down. You can do exercises first where you draw lines that look like strings of sausages (sort of) by varying the pressure on the brush.
The flowers are made by starting with the middle petal, and then painting other one stroke petals on either side. It so relaxing, so give it a try. If you don't like the results, wet the whole paper and go over it with a soft rag or large brush to lift off and/or smear all the color. Then a new background is made, and once dry you can paint on top of it!
Enjoy!