Lesson 19 Adding Color

It's time for you to move from black and white and shades of gray to color.  Above is last weeks drawing.  I added color to it with water color in layers. Here is what I did to layer the color to add light, medium and dark color to the drawing to achieve depth.

1. I copied the drawing onto watercolor paper in my home printer.   2. I mixed permanent rose and cobalt blue to make a lavender color and brushed it on behind the flower pot.  3. I added layers of red orange to the pot.    4. I mixed in a little cobalt blue to darken the red orange in the shadowed area.  5. I mixed yellow with red orange to make a lighter color orange for the rim of the pot.  6. I added one layer of light green to the leaves in the pot.I also painted the concrete with a mix of 3 primary colors to make a grey, then used a darker mixture for the shadow.  7. I decided to add foliage to the background, so I brushed clean water over the lavender background and then dropped in yellow green, cobalt blue and a little violet. I also used sap green mixed with cobalt blue to darken the green and painted the hedge behind the pot and some of the leaves in the pot.  8. I began to layer color in the flowers adding reds and violets to the darker sides of the tulips. Then I added some yellow green to the bushes behind the pot and then some cobalt blue to their darker side.  9. I layered in more colors on the flowers, ending with some yellow that I brushed on the lighter side of the flowers and the pot. 

Your assignment for the week is to add color to this or one of your other drawings using layers to achieve a balance of light, dark and mediums. If you decide to use watercolor paint, you will have more control of the paint if you either let it dry or use a hair dryer to dry it between layers.

Lesson 20 How to Watercolor Paint a Butterfly

For this lesson, I drew this butterfly in pencil, than drew over my pencil lines with a brown Faber Castell Pitt pen with a fine point.  I l use these pens with my watercolor paint because they are very reliable and waterproof.  After I inked in the lines, I got out my water colors and brushes. I used a # 6 round brush to paint the body, a #2 rigger brush to paint the lines on the butterfly and a #10 round brush to paint the background. I used Pebo Masking gum for the miskit, which holds the white of the paper until you rub the gummy miskit off.  I began painting the body with lemon yellow, then added some yellow orange (Winsor Orange) and some orange            (  Daniel Smith Pyrole Orange) then some red orange (I like Winsor Newton's Scarlet Lake).  I painted the body of the butterfly with more burnt sienna and a little ultramarine blue and the edges of the body with more u. blue and a little burnt sienna. The background was a layer of yellow ochre and when dry I added some cobalt blue for a shadow under the butterfly and around the edges of the frame.  I also made a video to show you the painting steps which you can watch on my youtube channel.  

Here is the link https:    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0o0sbAqPEGGw-18Er82JHA

Assignment # 20- copy the butterfly line drawing and paint it using only 3 colors for the body. Feel out the paint and try to wiggle your brush different ways  (use the tip, the side, the fat belly of the brush) and just explore painting with a what if attitude. If you have time, paint several butterflies.