Welcome to my Watercolor Winter Cardinal Class! In this class, I will show you how to paint a cardinal using some special watercolor techniques. Painting birds in watercolor can feel intimidating, but I'll show you how to create soft edges and layers of detail to make your watercolor painting stand out. I'll walk through all of the supplies I used and demonstrate some watercolor techniques that will pull the whole painting together.

Helpful Tips:

You might hear me use the term 'thirsty brush', and it describes a technique where I soften hard edges or lift a bit of color by using a slightly damp brush. The brush is free of any paint, but acts like a small damp sponge to soak up excess paint, soften edges, or to blend areas together.

I think it's helpful to use the right palette surface for mixing your colors. I love using ceramic or porcelain as it creates a perfect surface for viewing your color mixes or 'puddles'. I've tried using shiny plastic palettes but it's difficult to see your color mixes since the paint and water bead up on the surface. I bought this ceramic palette on amazon, but I've also used white ceramic plates from thrift shops.

As you follow along with this demonstration, it helps to have the reference painting available to view so you can see the highlights in the bird.

Here is a list of the supplies I used

Colors, various brands including Winsor&Newton, Holbein and Sennelier. I used cobalt blue, winsor red ( can substitute with cadmium or another bold bright red), ultramarine blue, burnt sienna or burnt umber (any darker brown will work), naples yellow (can use yellow ochre or another warm and earthy yellow). Keep in mind that I rarely use color straight from the tube, I typically mix it with something else.
Brushes, Several rounds from large to small. I'm using Princeton Neptune number 12 and silver black velvet number 6, and some various synthetic tiny detail brushes for the fine feathered crown on top of the Cardinal's head.
Paper is Arches 140lb cold press watercolor paper. It's my favorite paper for watercolor and I buy it in large sheets and cut down to size so save on costs. (I keep several inexpensive paper pads for swatching colors and practicing brush movements. )

Marcela Salvador

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