Aggregate Memories: Watercolor Tutorial and Artistcellar.com Stencils

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Watercolor Tutorial and Artistcellar.com Stencils

Hello Creatives.....

Sarinda here as your mid week muse with a watercolor, ink and Pan Pastels tutorial. This color palette is one that I was working on in New York a few weeks ago and wanted to see how it looks in this medium. Then I will move onto incorporating it in a glass sculpture. Let me know if you like it?!

Here is what you will need:

Artiscellar Playful Pods Stencils
Koi Watercolor
Water basin
Watercolor brush (I used a filbert 8)
Pitt Pen Set
Rag
Watercolor paper (I used Hot Pressed)
Pan Pastels
Cosmetic Sponge
Frame
Scissors

Step 1:
I most always choose to do a color palette blending test first. So I used a sheet of watercolor paper that I knew that I would be working on and added two pure colors on the left of the page and the mixed 50% of each color on the right.

Here is the test that I did. You can do this with any colors you wish. Keep in mind warm colors play nice with warm colors and cool colors play nice with cool colors. Otherwise you might get an icky brown... Well I guess I could a good color too. :D

Step 2:
Using the yellow/green and some light brown I made marks like a school of fish on the lower half of page.

Step 3:
Here you can see that I added some sweeping reed like plants. Starting with the yellow/green, orange, light brown, medium brown and then black/brown. Don't think about it too much just make some marks.

Step 4:
Adding some defining line work over the top of the dried watercolor to give some definition.

Here is a detail of the line work.

Step 5:
As you probbly know by now that I love the Playful Pods stencils a whole darn lot. lol. I wanted to add some Pan Pastels to the top layer in the lower left corner of thew work.

Step 6:
Cut down the image to fit your mat and frame. I always work a bit larger to help with the composition of the frame. Sign mat and frame your art.

Here is a detail of the work. I love the flowing look of the watercolors and the colors. It reminds me of a warm summer day listening to the reed grasses sing in the wind.