So you’ve tried painting watercolor birds? How about gouache? Gouache is an opaque water based medium that’s versatile and beautiful to work with. I find that it’s particularly suited to naturalist illustrations of birds, insects and flowers because of its opaque and vibrant finish.

Welcome to Sketch and Paint Birds in Gouache : Learn the Basics of Naturalist Illustrations! In this class you’ll learn how to draw and paint birds. While gouache is my medium of choice, you can apply everything I teach you to other mediums like acrylics and watercolor as well.

This class is for anyone who is fascinated by the natural world like I am, and would like to learn the basics of how to sketch, illustrate and paint birds. Birds have captured the imagination of artists for centuries, and for good reason. Birds represent the stunning diversity of nature and wildlife that we get to experience from the comfort of our own backyards.

If you’ve ever wanted to capture their beauty but don’t know how to get started, you’re in the right place. In this class, we’ll go over all the basics of sketching, understanding shapes and forms, understanding the structure of birds, mixing color and of course, painting.

Whether you’re completely new to sketching or painting, or you’ve already got some experience, this class is perfect for you.

In case you’d like to first learn the basics of working with Gouache, I’d recommend checking out my Gouache 101 class. But, going through that class is not necessary for you to dive into this one.

Materials you’d need :

A couple of good pencils
Gouache paints (I recommend Winsor and Newton, but any beginner gouache is perfectly fine to get started. Himi Gouache or Arteza work well.)
Hot or cold pressed watercolor paper
Round brushes in mixed sizes - I’ll be using size 2, 4, and 6
1/4 inch Flat or angled brush (optional)
Size 0 Filbert brush (optional)
A water jar
A scrap cloth or paper towel
Kneadable or regular eraser
A palette
Spray bottle with water
Scrap paper for swatching
Colour Pencils

Resources :

Who am I?
My name is Shivani and I am an artist, art educator, accessory designer and creative entrepreneur.
I’ve had a paintbrush in my hand since I was a kid, and over the last few years I have been consistently developing my art practice, with gouache being my favorite medium to work with! I’ve learned so much about gouache through my own practice, that I can’t wait to share with you. My favourite subjects to paint include all things nature - including plants, birds and butterflies.

You can check me out on the below links :

Doris Richardson

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