MY PROCESS:

Step 1: The Composition

On scrap paper, I used the Ribbon Trick to lay out the way that I wanted my blackberry vines to wind around my subject to fill out the entire page.

Snail Painting! - image 1 - student project

Step 2: The Pencil Sketch

I used the Pencil Trick to measure my photo to get a rough idea of the proportions (height and width). Then I loosely sketched out the shape of the shell first. I always start with the largest shape to sketch first and then build the other shapes onto that foundation.

Once I had the snail sketched out, I began to incorporate the blackberry branch composition that I came up in the previous step. I used my eraser to lighten up any unnecessary or sloppy lines before moving on. If you want to reference this sketch, feel free to download it here!

Snail Painting! - image 2 - student project

Step 3: Starting with Watercolor

I got out my watercolors and started blocking in a few of the largest areas of solid color. Here are the colors that I added for this step:

1. Sepia brown for the stripes on the shell and very watered-down sepia brown for the snail's body.

2. Watered-down sap green for the leaves and the unripe green berries

3. A mixture of sepia brown & ultramarine blue for the dark blackberries

4. A watered-down crimson red for the red berries

5. A blend of sepia brown & sap green for the blackberry stems

Snail Painting! - image 3 - student project

Step 4: Incorporating Gouache

To add in the gouache:

1. I started by mixing up a warm white color using white and a touch of yellow and red. Then I applied that to all the white areas of the shell.

2. I filled each of the black berries with tiny circles of black gouache.

3. I filled each of the red berries with tiny circles of red gouache.

To add in more watercolor details:

1. I outlined both sides of the stems each leaf with a thin line of reddish-brown.

2. I created the texture of the snail's skin by painting irregular oval shapes across the entire head and body with sepia brown. Then I filled in between each blob with sepia paint. I also outlined the snail's head and body with the same color.

3. I added thin, curved sepia brown lines to the snail's shell.

Snail Painting! - image 4 - student project

Step 5: Adding the Background

1. I took a photo of my painting so far on my iPad and brought the image into my Procreate app. Then, I digitally painted on a background color to see how it would look before I went for it with the actual paints.

2. I decided on a muted purple/blue color that wouldn't distract from the snail since it's a cool color. I also decided to add gouache instead of a watercolor background because I wanted my snail painting to have a bold vibe.

3. Once I filled in the entire background area, I realized that I wanted the snail to stand out from the background a bit more so I added a thin white border of gouache ALL the way around the blackberry plant and snail.

Snail Painting! - image 5 - student project

Step 6: Refining the Painting

This is the step where I went back in to add extra detail and definition to the snail and blackberry plant.

1. I added flecks of the purple-blue gouache background color into the snail itself to tie it all together.

2. I added splashes of red and yellow watercolor to each leaf to make them look more nuanced and natural.

3. I added thin curved white gouache lines to the snail's shell to depict the lighter highlights on the ridge of the shell.

Snail Painting! - image 6 - student project

Hooray! We have a finished painting, folks!

Rosalie Haizlett

Nature Illustrator | Top Teacher

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