In this class you'll learn how to draw and paint a red cardinal in watercolor. I’ll cover how I sketch the bird, mix my colors, apply washes, work in wet on wet and how I achieve the darks, to create contrast in my painting, by adding pen and ink.

I love to paint birds, especially cardinals. They feed under the evergreens outside my studio and I love to see the flashes of color out there.

In this class we will use watercolor with a little pen and ink. Watercolor techniques including wet on wet, wet on dry and layering to create your own unique Cardinal. It's amazing how many colors are seen in this beautiful bird. We will capture these stunning hues ranging from yellow and orange, to brown, greys and black.

I will give a list of the supplies you will need to complete the project. We will start with a simple pencil sketch on watercolor paper, mix our colors, create layers of paint and let the magic of watercolor shine. I’ll share my favorite tips and tricks for painting birds.

We will also use a little pen and ink for the black areas to create depth, it's fun to mix different mediums in a piece. But no worries you can substitute a micron or Pitt pen for the pen and ink. Black watercolor will also work quite well.

All levels welcome to join, beginners as well as experienced watercolor students will enjoy this class. Grab your supplies and come paint with me!

When I see a male cardinal in my yard I think of my Dad. He played baseball for the Allentown Red Birds, a farm team, for the St. Louis Cardinals. He passed away earlier this year and now this bird is a reminder of him, whenever I see or paint one. Cardinals are a popular motif in holiday art as well as symbols of a visitation from a loved one that has passed. My cardinal artwork is quite popular in my online shop, and many of my customers have shared their stories with me, of the birds' personal meaning to them. These touching stories have inspired me to create this class for you.

Use my hashtag #watercolorwithmelissa to share your work on Instagram and tag me too @melissajanehyatt

Please share your work with me and post your class to the project section.

If you want to learn more about painting with watercolor then check out my Class on painting a Seascape and a Blue Claw Crab.

Browse more Illustration topics here!

Hope to s

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ee you in class!

Janet Elia

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