Your class project is to draw a Flamingo and paint it in watercolors! You can also refer to the handy reference guide under the resources section to help you through this class and practice your skills!

Materials:

Use whatever pencils, watercolor paper, and colors you have available. I recommend:

Pencil that is light in shade so the pencil marks do not show up in final drawing.
Watercolor paper that is at least thick enough to take the watercolor washes. Ideally I would recommend thicker paper (close to 300 gsm) so you won't get any puddling even with heavy washes and multiple layers of color if you intended to use wet-on-wet technique, Note that a lower thickness paper should also be just fine but you will need to work a wee bit carefully if using heavy watercolor washes!
Watercolors - You can use any brand you like. Also feel free to experiment with other colors and shades to express yourself! :)
Watercolor brush - You can use any brush you have. If you already have one then I would recommend using a larger size brush for applying the large washes and one thinner brush to add the details.
2 Water containers - 1 for clean water and another one to wash off the used brush
(Optional) Masking tape or something to keep the paper stretched. If you are using a watercolor pad (which comes with removable sheets) then you might don't need this. The idea is to keep the paper stretched.

Getting Started:

Review 'Lesson 1: Sketching' and choose a Flamingo shape to use in your sketch. You may draw similar shape as per the lesson (2 parallel S shapes or draw your own Flamingo shape). You need to draw just the outline for your own reference and dont need to be super detailed. It is just for your own purpose and help you paint the subject in later steps!. A sample outline is provided in the project guide under resources section. You can also download the reference guide from the resources section to print out for your quick reference.

Stuck for Flamingo shapes? Research flamigo pictures and take inspiration from them!

Once you have sketched your flamingo start adding the colors. Just like in the class you can break this activity into 3 parts:

1) Water wash to prepare the paper surface in the areas that you want to add the color like the body of the flamingo. I recommend a larger brush that can hold more water to help you be more efficient with your washes. If you dont have a large brush a smaller one would work just fine!

2) Adding colors - Try experimenting with wet on wet technique first on rough sheet of watercolor paper if you are not used to it as it will need some practice if this is the first time you doing it. But you can feel free to directly get to the painting if you feel comfortable. I recommend using a larger brush that can hold more water and paint.

Tip: Try to keep the colors as fresh looking as possible. One way to do that is to mix the colors directly on paper instead on the palette as shown in the class. This will avoid muddying the colors.

3) Adding details - Switch to the finer thinner brush to add the details.

4) Finishing touches - You can add any finishing touches to complete the painting. But remember not to overwork the painting! :)

Sharing Your Work:

Share your final painting and progress shots with the class by uploading to the "Your Project" section. If you have any questions or need more tips, please let me know! I'm happy to help! Here's an example of a painting from my class!

Björg Alfreðsdóttir

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