I applied one coat of purple paint with the roller, then allowed it to dry before applying a second coat.
I applied one coat of purple paint with the roller, then allowed it to dry before applying a second coat.
I start by preparing the canvas with two coats of acrylic backing paint. For this painting I have used straw colour, as it will help to bring out the light filtering through the rainforest foliage.
Before I began the drawing, I washed the paper blue and let it dry completely.I accurately drew the swamp hen in first – from a series of photographs and some live sketches
Once I have decided on the format of my painting, I mist a fine spray of water across the horizon line to dampen the canvas and diffuse the paint to give an initial sense of perspective.
I always start by painting the background, and when this is thoroughly dry I draw in my subject using a watercolour pencil. Any corrections that need to be made to the drawing can be easily wiped off with water.
This is the hardest step; finding a subject. Once that hurdle is overcome, I complete my drawing on tracing paper as it’s much easier to rub out mistakes or even turf out the drawing and start a new.
For this demonstration I will be painting a favourite bird of mine, a Red Capped Robin. Having selected a photograph, I draw the bird using grids to help me keep correct proportions.
Carefully draw outline shapes of each duck. Add in areas of reflection and water movements. The ducks were feeding at the time I saw them, so I added several lines in line with their bodies, but left area in front of the ducks.
For the base coat, I used an application of washes in complementary colours which would show through to the finished work; then I applied the shadowed areas in Violet.
Mix a thin wash of Raw Sienna, remembering that watercolour dries lighter. Wash in sky area. Mix mauve in a slightly stronger consistency than sky wash.