Hello!!
This is something I have been thinking of doing for a while.
My passionate belief that EVERYONE can create masterpieces has made me want to share this with as many of you as possible. Plus, Autumn is my absolute favourite time of year and I really could’t wait to show you these tips and tricks in order for you to create your own beautiful Autumnal artwork and in the process, begin to truly understand the magic of Watercolors…
So, let’s get started!
You will need the following materials…
- Watercolour Set
- Coloured Pencils
- Tissues
- Cotton Wool Buds
- A Needle
- Size 1 paint brush
- Size 6 paint brush
Here is my little video talking you through the process (and even having a good old forage in my garden!)….
Either use the reference sheets with all the beautiful Autumnal images below (just print them out by selecting them and hitting print!), or have a good forage for some leaves etc. to draw in the actual great outdoors!
Here are some written instructions too….
- Start by either drawing around a real leaf or copying one from the reference.
- Fill the leaf drawing with a generous wash of clean water (using your bigger brush), then immediately add blobs of Autumnal colours, letting them run wild and merge together.
- When the paint isstill wet, gently scratch in all the little veins using a needle.
The hardest bit is to now leave it alone to dry! - Now start on your next drawing, follow some of my watercolour techniques in the film, remembering to leave things alone and revisit them when they are dry to work on them further.
This is the nature of Watercolours. The more left to their own devices, the more they can work their wonderful watery magic! - Treat your Sketchbook spread’s composition like a fabric repeat, each drawing should have the same amount of space around it and if there is a large empty space, depending on the gap, either draw in a little leaf or another painting.
- When your paint is dry, it might be a nice idea to add some more detail and colour using coloured pencils. This is great for the leaves of a carrot, or for the blush of an apple for example.
If you have chosen to paint the toadstool, when your solid red watercolour base is dry, use your thin brush to paint in the little white dots with some thick white Gouache. - You might like to add a few highlights wth the white paint too, it really brings berries to life and is lovely for a small shine on an apple or pumpkin.
And there you have it! I really hope I have shown you just how fabulous Watercolours can be.
One of the best things about them, is that they are totally portable, so hopefully you can use them out and about. You could even try drawing some leaves in situ in the winter sun! xxx
