Christmas cards with watercolors

1. Class introduction: Hi and welcome to the class. Christmas is approaching again. So let's start painting some Christmas cards that we can send to our families and friends. In this class will make two Christmas cards. They require only a little sketching and we can start painting almost right away. First we'll make these beautiful candy cane heart card. And after that, we will create a card that shows two Christmas ornaments. And in this painting we will learn about wet on wet technique, e.g. my name is Lisa heartburn and I'm a software tester by profession. But in the nighttime, I like to paint with watercolors and I've been learning to paint with watercolors on Skillshare for about two years now, I've listed here a few other winter and Christmas themed classes that I've made so far. You can go and check them out if you like this class. I also have an Instagram account where I post my art work. And you can also go to my Skillshare homepage where all my classes are listed. Okay, but I guess that's enough about me and let's start painting. Next. We'll check out the materials for the class. 2. Materials: Let's go through the materials next. You will need watercolor paper. And it's good to use 100% cotton for these because we will be doing wet on wet techniques and that requires a real good watercolor paper. You will also need some tissues and eraser and a pencil for making the sketch. Then you will need some brushes of different sizes. And you will need two jars of clean water. Then you will also need masking tape. I also have this little spray bottle that I use for wetting my paints, but that's optional. You will also need paint. But let's go through the exact colors. Once we start painting. You should also have some kind of mixing palette for mixing your colors. And he's the least of all the materials that you will need. So go get your stuff and let's start painting. In the next video, I will show you a sketch. Let's go through the colors that we'll use for the first painting. 3. Project 1: Colors and sketch: Welcome back. Okay, let's check the colors for the first project. I'll just quickly wet the paint and then I will paint a small swatches of them so you can see what the colors look like. Okay, First we have indigo, very dark blue. We'll use indigo at least when creating the pine needles. Then next we have ultramarine blue, and that will be used together with the burnt sienna to create this shadowy color. I will show you how it will look like. Then we have Taylor Blue, which is a really nice, bright and vibrant blue. I will also mix this with burnt sienna to create a beautiful green color. Then we have burnt sienna. And this is what I'm planning to mix with the blue. I had a beautiful ultramarine blue here and then I will paint a bit of burnt sienna on top of that. And I will show you the shadowy color that equina create. Then let's take burnt sienna, MHC, tweet Taylor blue. It should create this beautiful green color. And I'm planning to use that as the background of our first painting. Let's see how the green look like. Maybe a bit too blue for me. So let's add a bit more. Hello, Let's add a bit more burnt sienna. Now it's made to the problem. So let's add a bit of Taylor blue. It's usually be going back and forth with these color mixes. And it takes a bit of time to find the perfect tone that you would like to use in the painting. Yeah, that's good. Then the last color is cadmium red. And these will be used for creating the candy canes stripes in the candy canes. If you don't have these exact same shapes, that's totally fine. Just try to pick something similar. Or you can, of course, also just use your favorite colors and make the painting look like you're. That is totally fine. We have one more color, sap green, which I almost forgot. So it's a light green and you can replace it with any other light green. Then pick up your tape and tape your paper to the table. Or if you have a, some kind of a board where you can attach it that that's good. Also, remember to press firmly a few times so that the tape attaches properly. This will prevent the paint from leaking on tape. Shall we go to do it? Let's do the sketch. Next. I will show you finished painting. This is one of my practice pieces. And from here you can see that the sketch is actually really simple. The only thing we will draw are the two candy cakes that are forming these hard like for everything else will be created without a sketch. Okay, Let's start stitching. I will position the candy canes on the, a beak on the left side. And we'll just draw these two shapes that look like upside down J electors. And that is all that we're going to do. So you can just follow my lead or just draw them by yourself. 4. Project 1: Practising technique for creating candy canes: Before we start painting, let's first make a quick practice of how we will be creating the candy canes. So make a quick sketch of eye candy cane. And then let's make some colors for it. Take your mixing palette and then add some ultramarine blue to it. Then pick up some burnt sienna and mix these dark gray color. It should be more blue than brown. Mix the colors on t, you will find tone that please use your eye. Once you get the color right, pick some color to our brush, and then paint a shadow for the candy cane like this. And then clean your brush and try it on a piece of paper like this. And then blend the color to the background so that you won't have any sharp HSBC bowl. Next, let the painting dry for a while. It should be really quick because we didn't use lots of water. And once it's dry, then let's start painting the red stripes of the candy canes. I recommend that you pick a brush that has a fine tip and it's quite small. I'm using a size four and then pickup a cadmium red. You can take it straight from a pain. You don't need to dilute it with water. Let's start painting like this. So start from the shadow side of the candy cane and paint the edges of the red stripe, Stripe. And then wash your brush and tap it, dry on a piece of paper. And then with a slightly damp brush to blend the color. Tried to blend the color in such a way that the color is lighter on the lighter side of the candy cane and darker on the shadow side of the can decay. And then let's enhance the shadows by adding a bit of burnt sienna on the shadow side. Then let's create rest of the stripes in a similar way. So first cadmium red, then a blend the color with clean water and then add some I burnt sienna to make a shadow. And pay attention that I'm adding more cadmium red on the shadow side. So with that, I tried to make it appear darker. And that's also when I blend the color. So the shadow side looks darker and the other side looks lighter. You can paint with me the rest of the stripes. Or if you already feel confident enough, you can skip straight. The next video. 5. Project 1: Background wash: Okay, let's get down to business. Peak. Quite big, round brush, e.g. size ten or 12, and wet it in a clean water and start adding water to your background. We paint the background using wet on wet technique. So we will make the entire background with except for the candy canes. So pay attention while you are adding, adding water next to the candy canes so that you won't get them. Now my background starts to credit it, so I will start painting the background. I have a size 12 round brush. First, I will take the low blue to it and I will start adding color on the corners and the side of the painting like this. Then I've cleaned my brush and try to beat on a piece of paper. And I will pick a bit of burnt sienna on the brush. And I will paint that on top of the blue. This is how we create the green tone we were looking at while we were going through the colors for this class. I'll add a tiny bit more burnt sienna because the color is maybe a bit too blue for my liking. I like. And then I will start blending the color to the background because as you can see, we have a lot of white people. So now I clean my brush and wipe down a bit dryer, and now I'm blending the color so that we don't have any more white. We see both. I would like to corners of the painting to be a bit more a darker. So I will add even more to them. I think I'm happy with the background, but I still want to add some shadow under the candy canes. So let's mix ultramarine, burnt sienna, and let's create great shadow tone and add a beat of that color next to the candy canes on the back. 6. Project 1: Painting the first candy cane: Let's start work on the candy canes next. Let's first add a shadow on the side of the Candy case. And we will, for the shadow, we will use ultramarine blue and burnt sienna, make a light mixture of those two colors. And it should actually be a bit more blue than drown. So add more ultramarine blue and burnt sienna. Okay, then we will paint the shadows on the left side of the candy canes like this. Then clean your brush and dry excess water from it to a napkin. And then blend the shadow to the background so that you won't have any hard edges between the bluish and the white color, the white of the paper. Okay, Let's give it a few minutes to dry and then we'll continue making the stripes. But in the meanwhile, we could maybe practice a bit. How we'll be making is a brand cheese, cake first burnt sienna, and paint, a short curved line with it. So that's the, that's your branch. And then we will add pine needles. So first take your light green, I'm using sap green and start creating these short pine needles and try to make us confined lines as you can. So it looks more realistic. Then take indigo and paint another layer of pine needles on top of the green ones. You could also use a different greens and create multiple layers of the pine needles. But I think, I think these two colors, like green and indigo, they create interesting enough looking pine branches. So I will be using this method, two colors. Okay, That's how the branches are done. Let's continue with our painting then. Okay, My background has dried. Now I'm taking my size four round brush and let's start making the red stripes. I'll start with the one on the left. And let's see if I can work on two stripes at the same time. So I don't need to wash my brush. So often. You can also work with multiple brushes so that one of them holds red, one holds burnt sienna, and one you'll use for blending the colors. But I will just use one brush for simplicity of it, but you can choose otherwise. Then I will clean my brush and start blending the red to the background. Here is the first one, and then I'll move to the second one. I think on the lacking a bit of color on the second stripe, the line looks like it's, it ends too soon. So I'll add a bit of more red color here. Yeah, no, it looks better. Then I will start next adding burnt sienna to enhance the shadow on both of the stripes. Just a beetle, burnt sienna on the edge. And then let's blend it so that it blends nicely with the red color. Let's start working on the third strike. Again, take cadmium red, and these times start to paint the strike from the left side of the candy cane, because that's where the shadow is now. Okay, so first paint the borders and then add color on the left side where the shadow is. And then with a clean brush, start blending the color. Beat more blending here. Then with a clean brush, I will remove some of the color so that it looks even more light. Then I will add burnt sienna here on the left edge where the shadow is like this. Then let's blend just a little bit because there was a bit of a hard, It's okay. Let's paint the fourth stripe then. So again, start with the borders. Then the one on the bottom side. And after that color in a bit of red, then clean your brush and blend the color. Eat. Then I think I will once again remove a bit of the color from the highlights because it looks better that way, I think. Yeah, no, they're so nice. Nice, highlighted area there. Then let's next at burnt sienna for the shadow. Let's then take more cadmium red and start working on the next stride. So again, the borders. Whoops, I ran out of color here. Let's take a bit more. Okay, here we go. Then I'll clean my brush and blend. Go. Okay, I think that's starting to be a blended well enough. And then I will add burnt sienna. The left edge. Over here. You don't need to add much, just a bit, that should be enough. Then I will blend. I will clean the brush and a bit of blending. Okay? Then the final stripe. Okay, so again, start with the borders. Then a color in a bit of color on the shadow side. Then we will blend it like this. Okay. Then a bit of burnt sienna to enhance the shadow. I will add it here at the tip of the candy cane like this. Then I will blend it with a clean, damp brush, like so. Okay. You know what? It's ready. Let's paint the other candy cane in the next video. 7. Project 1: Painting the second candy cane: Okay, One candy cane gun and one more to go. Let's use the same method as before and start painting the red stripes. I've taken cadmium red and I've added eat on the darker side of the candy cane. And now I've washed my brush and then just blend the color in so that one side is darker and the other side is lighter. If you want to highlight even more the likeness on the one side, you can remove a bit of color there with a clean, damp brush like I'm doing now. Then let's add darker color, burnt sienna on the shadow side like this. Okay, let's paint the next. Strike. Again with cadmium red. We start making the borders of the stripe. And then let's add a bit of color on the shadow side, like this and blend. Then I will again remove a bit of color from the lighter side to highlight that lighter, lighter side. And then let's add burnt sienna on the shadow side. Okay, that one's ready. So let's take again cadmium red and make the third stripe. Again, I'm painting the borders first, and then I will add a bit of red on the shadow side. Let's try to make two stripes at the same time. That might speed things up a bit. We have so many stripes to paint, so it's good if it can be done a bit quicker. Okay, now I've added the color and then I will blend with a clean damp brush. And the other stripe. Again, remove a bit of color to make the highlight even more obvious. The highlights will make the painting look more realistic and more interesting. When there's lots of contrast between the shadows and the darker color and the lighter colors. Now the highlights are done. So let's add the darker color on the shadow side. So take it in burnt sienna. And remember to blend it well. We don't want any harsh edges or borders between these colors. Okay, then the next tripe, we are almost done. Bear with me just a couple of more stripes. Let's blend again. Then add burnt sienna on the shadow we cite. Okay, then I think we are at the last stripe. So once again, paint the borders on a color in a bit of grit. On the shadow side. Maybe we'll add one more here, but that doesn't need any special work. Then blend the red. Remove a bit of color. Then I will add burnt sienna. And we, we are ready with the stripes. Okay, cool. In the next video, Let's start working on the branches. See you there. 8. Project 1: Painting the branches: Let's work on the branches. Next. Take burnt sienna and use a brush that has a fine tip. I'm using, I think it's size four and just paint a curved line. Let's start here from the top left corner. I will create, maybe I'll create two lines at first. And then I will start adding the pine needles. So first let's add the light green layer. I took sap green and now I'm starting to create the pine needles like this. Then let's add them also on the other side of the branch. Let's begin at a light green pine needles also to the other branch. And then the other side of that branch. Like so. Let's start adding the second layer of pine needles. And this time we are using indigo like in the practice piece that we made before. So at Indigo pine needles, a bit here and there, it doesn't need to cover the whole branch. You can choose where you put them. And I also like to make small dots alongside the branch because that makes it look like there are these small pine cones or some small branches or beginning of branches. So it's at a bit of texture and it looks very nice at the end. Let's add another branch. This time, let's add it next to the first two branches may be here. Yeah, I think that might look good. I'll take sap green and start creating the pine needles. Try to create as fine lines as you can with your brush so that it looks detailed. And in this case, it's also good to use very, very concentrated color so that there is not, not water at all actually, like you'll see, I'm taking it straight from the pan and the color has a very thick consistency. Let's then add a layer of indigo pine needles. And you don't need to wait for the light green pine needles too dry. It's okay to add the darker pine needles straightaway. I'm adding a bit of those two dots here, as you can see. Maybe a few needles here. I think that's starting to look ready. Let's then add another branch. And this time here on the left side of the paper. So I'm thinking the curved line first and then I think I'll create a bit of a smaller branches like this. So it looks a bit different. Not all branches are the same, so it's good to make a bit of different kinds of branches. And then with sap green, I start to add those small pine needles. If you have attached to your paper to a board. Don't be afraid to turn the board around so that you will find the best angle to work on the thing that you are painting currently. I think it's easier to paint the tiny dose this way. So I turned my board. Now the light green layer is done. So again, taking indigo and start creating the darker pine needles. Remember to add a bit of dots here and there with the indigo to create those small pine cone. Looking at blocks. Okay, that is done. So next, let's take burnt sienna and create another branch. I think it's good to create it here so that the first one doesn't look so lonely. And first, the layer of light green pine needles like this. I think we all are all already pretty familiar how these are created. Then indigo. Here we go. Next, I will create a branch here at the bottom. And I think I'm again going to make a bit of a different looking branch like this. Maybe I'll add one more over here. Yeah, that is good. Then again, light green needles. If you learn something from this class, I think you'll be an expert in creating branches and pine needles. I think although this is kind of repetitive, we do the same thing many times over. But that can also be a bit of meditative. So you can just concentrate on doing one thing and it can be actually quite relaxing. I think the light green layer is done for these bottom of branch. And let's next take some indigo and create those darker pine needles. Start from the top. Sometimes it's hard to decide what to paint first, where to start from. But it's good to always think about where you put your hand next. So if you paint e.g. the sampling on the right side first and then start painting something on the left side. Your hand might smudge what you will have just painted before. So it's kind of good to think of working order in such a way that you won't destroy your work with your hand. If you're left-handed, then you might want to work the other way round that I'm working. So it's always good to kind of think of these things and then learn to waste that work for you the best. Now create maybe a small branch also here. And then I'll start adding the light green pine needles. Then I will next take indigo and create again the dark layer of pine needles like this. Remember to add a few small dots here and there. Okay. Yeah, I think that is ready. Let's first work on the rest of the brand cheese in the next video. So I'll see you there. 9. Project 1: Painting the branches, part 2: I hope you're up for more branches because we have still a few to do. So. Now I'm adding a branch here at the top, a bit right? Two from the candy canes. And I made this upside down Y shape so that I get a bit of a difference between the branches. And now let's add the light green pine needles like these, like we have already learned to do in many, many occasions. Then switch to indigo and start creating the dark layer of pine needles. Again, remember to make a small dots here and there to create interesting texture. Let's then paint another branch on the left side of the branch that we just created. So again, paint a curved line with burnt sienna. Then take sap green for creating the pine needles. Then needles on the other side of the branch. And after that, Let's again make another layer of needles with indigo. The bottom of the page looks a big bear, so I think we'll add one branch here, almost at the middle of the page, at the bottom. Let's make it also split one. So there are more than 11 branch into one single branch. Then let's make another one here next to eat. And we can work on these two branches at the same time. So let's start adding a light green pine needles. I'll start with the one on the left so that I hopefully won't smudge the color with my hand. Okay, then then let's add pine needles to the other other branch as well. Here on the other side too. Once you practice this, enough times, I think you'll get pretty fast in doing these branches. Bit more branches or pine needles here because the branches seemed a bit, it may be a bit too small. Okay. Then let's add a layer of indigo pine needles. Okay, those branches are done. And let's next at a branch here on the right lower corner. It could be a bit bigger one because there's so much open space. But also, I did position the candy canes on the left side because I wanted to move some leave some space in case someone wants to write e.g. Merry Christmas card. So there is a space for that. Yeah. Now, let's add the light green pine needles and then continue adding the dark pine needles with indigo. I think that after this we could maybe add one or two more branches, but then I think we are done. But yeah, let's see how it looks like when we have finished, maybe maybe one more branch, then we can evaluate the situation. I add a few more pine needles here on the, on the first side of the pie of the branch Because it to look to beat, beat in a way. Yeah, but now it's starting to look more full. I think that's good. Now. Then I think we could add a branch at the top of the page over here in the right top corner. And then let's just start adding the light green pine needles again. Now that I'm looking at this painting, I think we'll probably add one more branch after this. But then I promised we are done. I'm again turning my board so that it's easier to paint the, paint the pine needles. Then let's add the needles on the other side to just watch how I put my hand because some of the pine needles are still wet. I don't want to smudge dose. Yeah, but I think that's okay. Then maybe it'll be tomorrow fluffiness here or here and there. And then yeah. Okay. I think that's starting to be okay. And then I will add the indigo pine needles. Okay, Then the last branch, Let's add it on the right side because there are no branches there. So let's put it here. One more curved line. And then I'm thinking, should I make another line here? Yes, I think that's good. Yeah. Each one of these special branches again. Then let's add light green pine needles first. Now the light green layer is done. So next let's add the dark layer of pine needles. And remember to add those small dots here and there. Okay? And then a few needles here, a few more here, and we are almost done. So let's see, in the next video for the final painting. 10. Project 2: Finished project: Good job making all those branches. Now before we remove the tape, and let's add just a bit of shadow next to the candy canes. So take some of the color that we used for creating shadows. So that was mixed from ultramarine and burnt sienna. So use that same mixture again, and then just add quite thin lines of that color on the left side of both of the candy canes, like this. And over here as well. And if the line or if the edge kind of looks too sharp, you can blend it. And I think I'm going to do just that. So I will clean my brush and then dry it a bit and then blend the color so it looks nice and smooth. Next to the background. I'll do the same for the other shadow as well. Maybe a small shadow or so also there. Okay. Let's remove the tape. 11. Project 2: Colors and sketch: Okay, first project is done. Are you ready to get started with the next one? In this project, we will create a Christmas decorations or Christmas bubbles. And we make a really moody background and some light on the foreground. Let's go through the colors for this project. We're actually using pretty similar colors than in the last project. But we have added some extra colors in this project. We'll have burnt sienna. Then we have cadmium red. And you can also use any other prior to it instead of cadmium red. And next we have a tail or blue. And like in the previous project, we will also be using this color for the background. In this project. We'll be using chromium, yellow hue deep, and these might not be that common color. So you can replace this with any other yellow that is kind of reddish or even orange. We'll be also using ultramarine blue and indigo. And then we will also use white gouache or white watercolor for adding some final details. Let's take two paper, the background. Again, remember to press firmly. We will be using quite a lot of water in these backgrounds, so there's a risk of color flowing under the tape. So remember to press firmly a few times. K the tape, it's ready now. So next, let's do a sketch. I'll be using this little cup to create a round shape. You can do it by free hand also. Then I'll add a slightly smaller round shape behind this one. So we will be having two Christmas decorations in this painting. Then let's add the small details at the top where the Christmas decoration is usually hanged in a tree like this. And then another one over here. Then one more thing. Let's add a street light going the foreground. And I will mark with round shapes the places where there will be light. So I remember to leave those parts lighter when I create the background with the sketch is done. So let's see new in the next video. 12. Project 2: Background wash: Then start working on the background. Take a beak, round brush, e.g. size 12, and take clean water and water. The entire background except for the Christmas decorations. Okay, The background is wet and let's then take the yellow paint and add it around the Christmas lights. I'm using a big round brush for this. And take a bit of yellow, add it to your mixing palette, and add a bit of water so that the consistency is in that thick. Then let's start painting around the Christmas lights. Leave white area in the middle of the light. That will be the lightest part. Then add a bit of yellow around the Christmas decorations. And again, leave a slight whitespace between the color on the Christmas decoration like this. Then clean your brush and why? Damp on a piece of paper and then blend the color so that there isn't white visible anymore, but the color is visibly lighter just around the Christmas decorations. Next, we'll take burnt sienna and mix it with your yellow so that we get a slightly darker tone, even almost a golden tone. And let's add that, the round, the yellow color like this. Let's then add the same color around the Christmas decorations as well. So chest next to the yellow that you added. And then a bit of here in the corner as well. And between the lights are this way we are trying to create the kind of the blow of the light so that its brightest test around that Christmas lights. And then it gets darker when we get further away from the lights and from the decorations. Then let's blend the burnt sienna to the background. We can edit burnt sienna to the whole background. Let's add also a bit of darker color under the Christmas decorations, because there will be a small shadow. So it's good to add some darker tones there. Then I am taking burnt sienna without adding any yellow to it. And I'm making these darker shadows under the Christmas decorations and also in some other places, like the corners. And then. Blend. We want everything to be smooth, so there shouldn't be visible edges between the different colors. When you are blending, always remember to clean your brush first and then remove excess water from it so that it's just slightly damp and then blend the color. Okay. Then I'm mixing even a darker tone. I'm taking tailor blue, and I'm mixing it with burnt sienna to create this beautiful green color. And let's add it top of the painting. A bit more in the corners and a bit less in the middle. Then let's start blending the color to the burnt sienna. This part can get a bit tricky, but we'll get through it. We just keep adding the green mixture and some burnt sienna. And eventually we will find a balance between the, between the transition from one color to another. I'll switch to a slightly smaller brush. This is size eight. And I will make some more, more of the green color, which burnt sienna, phthalo blue. And I hope to add a bit darker tones. Green. At the top of the painting. Keep an eye on the wetness of the background. If it starts to dry, then you won't be able to blend the colors anymore. So you should stop at that point. But if you have good watercolor paper, you should be able to do these steps without any problems. I'm now blending the dark, dark green so that there's a smooth transition from from burnt sienna to green. And let's see, a bit of blending there as well. I think I'll add a bit of green also at the bottom of the painting. And then I will try to blend that. That's well. That actually doesn't seem to be blending nicely. So I think my background had started already to try at the bottom. So adding the color here wasn't such a good idea after all. But that's totally fine. We'll find a way to make it part of the painting. I think I'll add a bit of burnt sienna at the corners. So I will kind of mask My mistake like this. Then I'll take a slightly smaller brush, e.g. Sikhs or A4. And I will add some clean water to the brush. Let's add some blooms with that brush like this. Just tap lightly on the brush and you can see that some clean water is dropping to the painting. And since the background is still a bit wet, the water will push away the paint and it will create these blogs. Let the ground now dry entirely. And then let's mixed paint. The Christmas decorations. 13. Project 2: Painting the first Christmas ornament: Let's start painting the first Christmas ornament. My background has totally dried, so it's now safe to start wetting the paper again. So there shouldn't be any blending of colors. Now, I take a slightly smaller brush. I have size six. And let's start wetting the first Christmas ornament. Let's only wet the round part so don't touch the hat of the Christmas ornament meant at this point. Once the ornament is wet, take your yellow color and add a bit of it to your mixing palette, and then add some water to it because we want the hue to be really light. And then let's start painting, but leave a small space on touched, so don't add any color there. That will be the point of the ornament where the light is hitting. So that's kind of The Shining of the light. And let's try to keep it on touched. Okay, then take some cadmium red and pull it also to your mixing palette and add some water to it. Let's first add a light layer of red on the ornament at the color so that there is a small white space between the color and the edge of the Christmas ornament like this. Then clean your brush and wipe it so that it's only damp. And then blend the red color. Blend it towards the edges of the ornament so that it has this light red color instead of white. And then after that blend, also the red and the yellow color like this. Once it has been blended, then let's add more red color. Let's add these layers and try to get it in kind of an intense red color. Add more red, but this time it should have less water and more red pigment and add it like this to the Christmas ornament. And then once you have added it, let again blend it with a clean, damp brush. Again, remember to leave that one part of the ornament on touched so that it looks like the light is shining from that point. Next, I will take red color straight from the pan. So it will have really intense pigment. And I will add it in a similar way to these Christmas ornament. Then again, after I have added enough, Let's fill out a bit more there. Now, I will blend it again. I don't want any hard edges on this Christmas ornament. Okay, that has been blended. Let's continue to build an intense color for the ornaments. So next, let's take burnt sienna and add it to your ribs. Let's make a mixture of those two and then add that to the Christmas ornament like this. Then we want to blend that as well. So with a clean, damp brush to blend the color well, I think we need even more intense color. So let's take more burnt sienna and add it straight from the pan like this to the ornament. And I think you can see that I'm adding the color to the same places and then play from there. So I want to kind of build the intensity to those parts. Those are the darkest parts of the ornament. Then let's take some ultramarine blue and mix a shadow tone with blue and burnt sienna. Let's add a bit of these also to the Christmas ornament. Okay, I think now the toe nice, dark enough. So I will add it here. I think it might have had a bit too much water in it. So you can maybe see that some of the pigment is, is pushed away after I added this dark color. So let's start. Let's try to add more intense, such a version of that color that it has less water and more pigment. So that should be that should fix the problem that we just faced. Yeah, I think that looks better. Now the pigment is not pushed away. I think my ornament is starting to get dry on the right side, so I probably shouldn't touch that part anymore. But I can still add the dark tones on this left side. That should be safe. But if your ornament has started to dry, then stop blending, stop adding color or colors to it. Instead, you should let it dry completely. And after then, you can re-wet it and continue adding more layers. But let's hope your ornament is still wet like mine, so you can still work it. Work on it like this. I decided to add a bit more red color here because I got a bit carried away with the shadow tone. So a bit more red was needed here, in my opinion. But now I'm starting to be happy about the colors. There's enough intensity and darkness, but also lightness. So let's move on to the next video. 14. Project 2: Painting the lights and adding details: While the Christmas ornament is still wet, we cannot work on the other ornament, but let's pick user at a time. We have to wait and let's start working on the streamline. Take e.g. size six brush with a fine tip, and then take some burnt sienna and paint these curved lines, but leave a part in the middle where you won't put any paint. And after you have made two lines, clean your brush and wipe it down. And then with the damp brush wipe line from the burnt sienna line towards the other part of the line. So this way we will get a really light, brownish light that line. But it looks like there's a light shining from there because the line is so light in color. So in this method, Let's create a rest of the, rest of the lights as well. So now I am, I am taking more burnt sienna and I will create a line here at the bottom. Then I will clean my brush and make one line from one side and another line from the other side like this. Then I will again take more burnt sienna and continue making the lines. One line here, then line with a clean brush. And then one more line. And we are soon Don, Don with the string light. I will make a line here with a clean brush, one line here. And then I think one more line with a weak the birds here. Like this. I'm following the sketch that I made in the beginning of the class. A couple of more lines with a clean brush and we are dominant with at least with this part. Next, I will take some indigo and I will add that to the darkest places in the string light. So basically in the middle, middle parts, like you can see where i'm, I'm adding it right now. So I want to add a bit of shadow so that the contrast between shadow and light, this is bigger. Then I think the ornament is still a bit wet, but it's dry at the top. So let's next work on the very top part of the ornaments. Take a light shade of yellow. So that means that you have added quite a lot of water to it and paint the entire hat of the ornament with the yellow color. Then take some burnt sienna and add that on the edges of the hat. Then with a clean brush, blend it. Take even more color, add more, more of that on the edge. And also some on the right edge of the hat. Let's add a small group of line weight, burnt sienna in the middle of the ornament. So that will be a small detail that makes the ornament look more interesting. Let's then add the same colors and saying details on the other ornament as well. So first, add a light layer of yellow color on the entire top hat. Then take some burnt sienna and add that mostly on the edges. Like this. Let's then blend the color. We take a clean brush. Then I'm adding the line in the middle of the ornament. I think the line has almost disappeared, so we might need to add that actually later again, once the top part has dried. But in the meanwhile, let's mix a darker color. This is the shadow color that we have been using. So let's take ultramarine blue and burnt sienna. And this color, we will add some shadow under the ornaments. So under both of the ornament, paint, a line with the dark color that we just mixed. It's also paint or line here. And then fill in the part between the ornaments. And then we will need to blend this. So clean your brush and Y be damp and then start blending. Then let's blend or so on this left side, I will add a bit more color in the middle of the ornaments to make it even more dark. And then a bit more color also under the red ornament. That's enough shadow for now, but we'll get back to this at the end, I think. But next, let's take burnt sienna again. And let's paint these small loops on top of both of the ornaments. So this is the loop where the ornament can be hacked to the Christmas tree. So just a simple loop like this. Let's then add a beat, a darker color to the loops as well. So take again the shadow color and add it to some places in the loop, but not the entire loop, but in some places. I think they look now good. Then next, I think the top parts have dried. So let's add that scribbly line again. Take again burnt sienna, and paint the line again like this. And also on the other decoration. Let's then also add a similar line with yellow color and also on the other one. Okay. Then what else? Let's add a bit more burnt sienna on the side of the top part just to make it a bit more dark. And also on the other ornament like that. And then let's blend it again with a clean brush. But watch out for the scribbled lines that we draw or paint it there. Well, it doesn't matter if it gets smashed because you can always paint it later again. Then I will take the dark shadow tone, and I will also add a bit of that on the side of the top parts. And these were the final details that we are adding at this point. So next, let's start painting the other Christmas ornament. I'll see you in the next video. 15. Project 2: Painting the second Christmas ornament: Let's paint the other ornament. The red one is now dry, so it's safe to put water on the other ornament as well. So width the entire bubble. And again, you're small enough brush I'm using again this size six and a wet the entire declaration. But to be a bit careful, near the red ornament, because we don't want to accidentally make any color bleed from there. But if you're painting is totally dry, it should be saved to add water. Okay, my ornament is now wet. So next, take yellow and add it to your mixing palette, then add some water to it. Again, we want to add a very light layer first. And like before, I leave a small white space on the side of the ornament. So this is the spot where the light is reflected because it's the lightest part of the ornament. Then blend the yellow color all over the ornament like this. Let's then add some burnt sienna in the ornament. And let's add these to the part where the ornament is supposed to be a darkest. And that is right next to the red ornament because it's shadowed a beat by the other ornament at burnt sienna here. But again, be careful next to the white spot because we don't want to put any color there. Then clean your brush and again, blend the colors. Let's add another layer of yellow. Add a bit thicker consistency of yellow, and then blend it again with a clean, damp brush. We keep adding the layers this way until we are satisfied with the colors and with the intensity of the colors. So now I just added more burnt sienna and I'm blending that again. Then I take burnt sienna straight from the pan and I'll add it to the darkest spot like this. You can see that the color is quite intense when it's added next to the yellow. And then I will again clean my brush. Y be the damp and I will blend. Let's then take the shadow color and add that also to the very darkest spot on the ornament. Over here. Let's take a bit more these foster color that we mixed from ultramarine and burnt sienna. Then let's also blend this with clean brush. I'll add a bit more color here and then blend that. And after that, I think we might be done. I'm removing a bit of color here because it has bled onto the white spot. So with a clean brush, I removed some of the wet paint. So it now looks like a but let's move on and in the next video, let's add some final details. 16. Project 2: Adding final details: Okay, This is the final step. Let's add a bit of details. Take white gouache or white watercolor, and add small dots of it to the center of the string. Lights are. Let's also add some white dots at the very top of the painting. At the dots, at least in the middle of the blue that we created. But you can also add them elsewhere. You can decide what looks good to your eye. Let's then add a small white line here on the red decoration. That's kind of a reflection of the light. Then I'll add some white here also on the sides of the top parts of the body of the ornaments. Let's then add some splatters. Cover your ornament with a piece of paper. At least I don't want to get any splatters on them. So this will keep them safe. Then take a kind of a smaller sized brush and add some yellow color to it. And then tap it with another brush. And you will create these small dots of color. Then I'll mix red and yellow and create these reddish orange color spots also here at the bottom of the painting. Let's then also create some splatters with white color. Let's do it the same way as we did the other splatters. If you think that if you feel like you are not creating splatters enough, tried to add a bit more water to your paint. Let's add a bit more yellow splatters. Feel free to stop at any point when you feel you have enough enough splatters and enough details. I'm still adding a few more, a bigger dots with my brush with yellow color. I think that starting to look fine. Then I will move the paper towel and I will create some splatters at the top part of the painting. I will be using white gouache. Again. I'm adding lots of splatters here and then I will move the paper again so that I can it was plugging some parts. So I decided I want to add a bit more splatters at the bottom as well. Then the right upper corner is splatter free. We have to fix that. So now I've added more splatters there as well. Then as a final details, I'm painting the side, the left side of the red ornament with the dark shadow color. I want to add a bit more definition to the shape of the ornament. And now I will blend it a bit more color. Maybe. We'll see where I feel like there should be something more and I will add this dark color in those places. So some color here at the top. And I will blend it. Let's still add a bit more shadow under the ornaments week, the dark shadow color like this. Then I will blend it just a little bit. I think I want even darker shadow, so I will add just a bit of indigo underneath both of the ornament. Then let's see, what else could we do? I think we could add a bit more dark details with indigo here at the top part of the ornaments. I will, I will blend it a bit so that it doesn't stand out too much. I will also add a bit of indigo on the left side of the red ornament, like this. And then maybe between the two ornaments to add a bit of inch there. Then what else could we do? I'm adding a bit of a lie. A better, better line for the yellow ornament with the Burnt Sienna. Because I feel like the edge of the ornament is a bit blurry. So I will add the line there so it looks more sharp. Let's do the same for the upper part of the ornament. Maybe some blending that's standing out quite a lot. Okay. Then I think I've maybe added too much dark color on the red ornament, so I will just add a bit of cadmium red on the, near the edge of the ornaments, so it will look a bit more red and the dark color won't stand out so much from there. Okay, I will blend that a bit. Then let's take a bit of burnt sienna and add that in the darkest spot of the yellow ornament. So we're still trying to create a bit more shadow here, a bit more darker tones. And then let's blend that with a clean brush. I already removed the tape from my painting, but now I see that I want to add a couple of more white details here at the top, like this. After adding the final details, remove your masking tape and take a look at the gorgeous Christmas card you have created. 17. Thank you for joining!: These are the beautiful Christmas cards that we created. Thank you so much for joining. And I hope you had fun. And I also hope to see your projects in the project gallery. Have a wonderful Christmas time, and I hope to see you again soon. Bye bye.