Lately I have been making a point to focus on the beautiful things in life. Even if that means not getting all my “real” work done as fast… I just want to create & be happy, and sometimes I focus too much on producing content, which tends to take all the fun out of being an artist, and leaves me super stressed out. So tonight I wanted to post a quick tutorial tonight on my process of painting watercolor animals. This is fun. This is my  therapy.

 

For this tutorial I will be doing a Bison, which is basically my favorite animal ever! Here’s a random fact for you all: I have a good chunk of Cherokee in me, so if you ever wonder why I love natural, prairie, and Native American-ish stuff, there’s your answer!

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First, I sketch out my concept. I like to look at real photos of animals, which helps me get their anatomy correct. Usually I erase 3-5 times before getting the pose I want. It’s kind of like putting a puzzle together.

Next, I use a watercolor pencil to re trace the details I want to make sure to see. Then I lightly erase my drawing since paint and lead pencil don’t mix. Watercolor pencils lose their harsh lines when touched with water, which is great for blending, but they don’t erase as easily as the lead pencil. You want it just dark enough to be able to see where you’re going, but light enough so it won’t be noticeable when you paint it in.

For coloring, I used just these three watercolor shades (which I got from hobby lobby) and 140 lb. cold pressed watercolor paper (my favorite one to use can be found here) which has a lovely bumpy texture *swoon.*

The next thing I do is to outline my art with loose, bendable lines.

Here’s my painting process, sped up… a lot. Lol. It’s really just doing layers of paint again, and again, and again. You should let the layers dry in between (and focus on other areas) for a really nice textured watercolor look.