Easy Watercolor Italian Food Illustration | Cappuccino & Croissant

1. Introduction: [MUSIC] Hello. Welcome back to my Skillshare channel. I'm Elisabetta, an Italian watercolor artist. I like to sketch my word and sketch the food I eat, the books I read and the objects around the house or restaurants that I go. One year ago, I published my first class, which is the typical Italian breakfast. It is the breakfast that I had every day at home. Today, I'm celebrating one year on Skillshare with a new edition of the same class. It's an Italian breakfast in a bar. This is an illustrated sketch of these breakfast that every day is served in thousands of Italian bars throughout the peninsula. It's the cappuccino, the famous coffee with the latte with milk and a croissant that in Italy, just the curiosity, in Northern Italy where I live we call it [inaudible] and in Central and Southern Italy, they call it a cornetti. Even in Italy, we don't understand each other. It's a typical Italian breakfast that you have on the go before you go to work and it's delicious. That's why I would like to sketch it with you today. It's not only delicious, it's an easy, fun class that is suitable for beginners but you will learn plenty of tricks. You will learn how to simplify a complex reference [inaudible] You will learn how to [inaudible] into it and give life with the Latin shadow. You will learn how to add color variety. You will learn how to mix your grays. You will learn how to use a limited palette. You don't use too many colors, and you just mix a limited number of colors to achieve harmony in your sketch. For this sketch, you need some basic supplies. I'm sure you're going to have fun and I can't wait to see you in this class with me. Ciao from Italy. [MUSIC] 2. Supplies: [MUSIC] Let's talk about the basic supplies that you will need for this class. The most important piece of supply, I think is have some watercolor paper, not any paper, but some paper that says for watercolor. This is a sketchbook that I like very much because it is made with the cotton paper. This is [inaudible], 300 GSM, 100 percent cotton paper. If you don't have cotton paper, you can still follow my class. I also use a Strathmore sketchbook like this. It is cellulose and it's a very good paper. The important thing is that it is thick paper for watercolor and the weight should be at least 200 GSM, better if it is 300 GSM. This sketchbook, because this is a class for sketches in a sketchbook but if you don't have a sketchbook, to say, it's nicer in a sketchbook, then you will need some paint. I will use some paint from my watercolor collection. I have a palette where I put colors from different brands of the colors that I like very much. I move them around, I sometimes change them. But for this class, you will use some basic color sets that I will list in the resources section. But basically, you will need some earth tones like burnt sienna, some raw sienna or yellow ocher, some yellow like cadmium yellow or Naples yellow, some basic yellow. Also for background, you can choose whatever you like. I will use some earth green, but you can use any green or pink really, you can decide. But the earth tones will be, the most important colors. It will be in the spectrum of browns, burnt sienna, raw sienna, yellow ocher, and some gray. But for gray, don't worry. If you don't have a gray, you can either use Payne gray or make your own gray with for instance, purple and orange or blue and orange or blue and burnt sienna. There are many ways to mix grays. To like to mix my gray, we will see how. Then we will need some brushes. I will use some round brushes of different sizes. Let us say that if you have a round brush with a very thin point, it's enough. But if you're scared about thin lines, you can also use a very small detail brush for finer lines and a larger brush for larger areas like this one. It's round, synthetic watercolor brushes. They must be watercolor because they hold more water. Choose a brush, which says watercolor brush. Synthetic is better like this one from Jackson's. It says studio synthetic and it's very good one. They're not very price usually. Then you will need for the sketch a pencil and an eraser. Then we will need some pen, some ink. I will use probably nib holder, a dip pen like this with some ink, waterproof ink. But you can also use a normal waterproof pen. The important thing is that you use a waterproof pen or waterproof ink. Then you will need some water. Take two cups of water, one for clean water and the other one for rinsing your brush and some kitchen paper, paper towels to dry your brush to blot it dry and to correct some mistakes, it's a very useful tool to have around. You will then need a mixing palette. I'm using these cheap plastic one. It's perfectly fine. It's important that the background is white, so you see the colors you're mixing. You can also use a dish separated from eating dishes because colors can be toxic or maybe you have a mixing palette that comes along with your watercolor set. This plastic one is perfectly fine. That's all for supplies and let's start with the sketch. [MUSIC] 3. Pencil Sketch: [MUSIC] Let's start on the left of the paper because I'm right-handed so I don't want to smudge my drawing. I always prefer to start from top left and draw towards right bottom. I go this way. If you're left-handed, you will go this way. I start from the cup for my cappuccino and I will draw more or less box of the size of the desired cup. Then I will put a cross in-between and I will draw some horizontal lines where the oval curves into a horizontal lines here. Don't put an angle here. That would be very wrong. It's not realistic. You touch the four little lines like this. Here it goes inwards so you always find the center like this, and it goes inwards towards the base because you know that this is the back of the oval inside. You know that these type of cups have a smaller base. Try to be a little symmetric. This is the pencil face like this and then we will put a little dish. Always we put some dots at a distance. This will not be seen, but we still draw it and we put some dots here. This is the center, so here, here. Once again, we will drop an ellipse which is our little dish. This is the base of our cup. We can also put even a little spoon here. Spoons have this shape. We'll put a little spoon hidden beside the cup. I will now erase the unnecessary lines. This is hidden. But then we will trace everything with ink. Here also we will have the liquid, the cappuccino itself inside the cup, very light. Now the handle. We put it on the side because it's easier. We put a semi heart in here and we follow. You can make it different sizes. You can make it rounder like this. This is our handle. Let's now sketch the croissant. The croissant has a half-moon shape. Remember perspective, so would be not perfect because it's not from top. Here we will have the center of our croissant, which is oval with an angle here. Then on this side , on this side. I will not overlap it with the cup as it is in the picture because it's easier this way. Like this. Here would be more leaning on the right-hand side same. I'm just looking my reference picture. Here, I will have one last. Maybe it should be more on this side. [MUSIC] It's more symmetrical here and here. I can't really fix my mistakes as much as I like on the pencil stage. Here, like this and here like this. Now I like it. Also, now that I think about it, I'd like it to be little fatter. This is the handle and I will erase here. I'm also canceling this line because cappuccino will come up to the rim, up to the border. Now that I have played with my pencil we can apply our ink. [MUSIC] 4. Ink Outline: [MUSIC] Let's start applying our ink. As I said, I will use a nib pen and some water proof drawing ink from my Pelican. But you can use the just standard waterproof pen like this one or the Micron, they're all very good. Just keep in mind that it must be waterproof. If you use a deep pen, like I do, be sure to have some water and some paper next to you to fix some accidental mistakes. I start with this. [MUSIC] Your line doesn't have to be perfect. It can be also dotted. This side, you just don't draw it, just some dots. Same with the inner line. The inner line should be closer because of perspective to the top. Here you will have a closer. [MUSIC] You can also draw some bumbles here and there for cappuccino. Here it's slightly more far way from. This side, we must decide the light direction. I always put it coming from top right. From this side, I'm very consistent, so I never make mistakes. That's my way. But you can choose it. If you do like me, just put an arrow here with a little sunshine, meaning that here this is our light source. This line, because it's in the darker can be slightly thicker. If you have a deep pen you can, and this also because it's in the bottom and you can be lighter on this side towards the light. Same here, thicker. This is a CPI ink, it's very light. I like it a lot. You can vary the width of your lines. Here we can have rim. Here also would be thinner towards the upper rim and thicker here. We can also put little bottom here. Now the croissant. The croissant, we can always fix lines in this stage. You start from always the left-hand side because I'm right-handed, I don't want to smudge my ink. [MUSIC] I will put more pressure towards the bottom and lighter towards the light, thinner. This ink is very transparent so will be not very visible once we apply our water colors. You see I just vary the width. This is our croissant. Now I will also direct in ink, put a little napkin and a little towel under our croissant. I will put a line here. Not too straight because it's cloth. Like this. Just a little towel. We'll also put some little circle here. Let's wait until it dries and we can start applying color after it dries. I'll be back in a few minutes. [MUSIC] 5. Watercolor First Wash: Now 10 minutes have gone by. I think it's dry so I can erase everything. Now it's crisp and clean. I just don't erase my source of light because this is important to remember. You see, the sketch is not perfect at all, but that's the beauty of these quick sketches for a daily illustrated journal. Let's start from our cappuccino. I have prepared some burnt sienna here, with some yellow ocher. Always prepare some in advance. Then with a clean brush, I pre-wet my cappuccino. These area where I will have my cappuccino. Then I will touch very lightly the outer part like this. Alternatively with also touch of maybe yellow ocher to give some color variation. I will not draw the fancy feather because usually you don't get it in Italy. It's more for pictures, the real cappuccino that you get in a barra. It's more simple one. I will also add some darker values. We'll take some burnt umber. Here it is my burnt umber and touch maybe on the side where I have shadow. Touch just the outer rim. Then we let it rest and do its own work. This is the cappuccino for the moment being. Then I see I have some graphite left here. Let's imagine that this is porcelain white cup, we will have some shadow here. I will mix my own gray as I said and I will take some ultramarine blue, ultramarine and I will take the same burnt sienna. I use what I call a limited palette, not too many colors, more blue. You see you immediately have a lovely gray. If you wish you can add a little touch of purple because it's a lovely addition to shadows purple. Like these. What I will do is I draw a shadow here. I will have some shadow also on. Remember that light source is here. The shadow will be where the sun or the light doesn't hit. Prepare more of these. It's too red, so more blue and a touch of purple. I like this touch of purple. It's a personal touch. Then I have this for sure here, some shadow. Here I will have a little shadow, then on here below the spoon, I just pull these, I don't want a hard edge here, so I will put more paint and immediately water it towards light like this. Here I don't want to, so I put some clean water. Then I go with my napkin to absorb the mistake. More really here, you've really outer edge. This is just a first layer. Then we can put some light that hitting here to counterpart. Where we see light, although it's white, we can put some yellow because yellow stands for light in the language of light and shadow. We take some cadmium yellow, pure warm yellow, and put some here and here. It stands for light. Also here. Here also we have some light. This is not what we see in reality, but it's a language of light. Yellow stands for light. Let's go to the croissants. For the croissants, we make an under painting using the same warm yellow, so we don't use too many colors. I could use quinacridone gold or other yellows, but I will use a very simple basic palette that everyone has. I would put some where I see some patches of yellows. I will put some yellow here and there. It's an under painting that we give an overall light impression towards the light. Then we absorb these excess here. Then I will add some burnt sienna. I don't wait until it's dry. I will put some wet here at the corners that are dry. Starting from corners and center, I will add some burnt sienna especially in the center and in the bottom you see. Touch it with not real brush strokes but patches of burnt sienna. More here. I insist on bottom because I have shadow. I put some more here in the center. We slightly blend it here. I would also take some red. I will take some Indian red, which is a nursery red, but you can take any red and mix it with your burnt sienna and I will just touch the very end here to add some warmth and accentuate shadow. Here and there. Blends this, starting to dry so I should leave it. We will come back when it's drier. What I would like to do now is to add more yellow while it is wet. We'll take my cadmium yellow, again, slightly more concentrated so it doesn't disperse too match and I will add some touches of yellow towards the light. Along the lines and towards the end. Important is to give some colored variety. Now we go back to our little spoon. If you have payne's gray, you can use payne's gray. Or you can even use some diluted black [inaudible]. I see that there's a little mistake here, so I go with clean water. It's not important. Just to help you in and just in case you don't have Payne's gray, you can take some black. I have some neutral black, which is perfect. I dilute it a lot because it must be completely different from the one, the gray that's used for shadows. You just apply some black towards the opposite end of the light and then you just dilute it, and don't touch. Leave some white on the paper. Don't touch this line. leave some. That's it. This is our spoon. Then we will insist with shadows and we do it right now. For shadows, I go back to the gray I have mixed with the burnt sienna and blue. It's called Jane's Grey. I mix some more. It's too brown, so we'll add some blue. Especially if it's on the bluish side, I'll add a touch of purple, and I insist on shadows where I see more like here. And also maybe on this side of the cup, and then I blend this. Don't overwork it. Just leave it as it is. I take other brush and I blend this. Now maybe we can still work a little our cappuccino I like it the way it is. But there should be more white inside. So the first thing that I do is, I will lift up some color here in the middle. I take some clean water. I applied here. Then with a dry brush, I will try and lift some of this color. Like this. It's lighter now and we can accentuate the reddish around the rim. For these, I take some burnt umber with some burnt sienna, and I take a touch of the Indian red. Any red. Just mix your colors until you find reddish brown. I would just accentuate here in a very messy manner. It's not. Then I blend it not towards the center, but outwards so that I just push away this. I don't pull it towards the center, but I push it towards the rim. I will take some darker value. Put it here in the purple. I can also touch here and there for bubbles. The two like that. Don't be this symmetric, just more of scattered in this. I wouldn't touch this anymore. Now, we can paint the little tower. For the little tower as I said, I will take a very light green, which is earth green. You can take any color that you like. This earth green is a very nice delicate one. It's not very easy to re-wet, but we will just apply with lovely strokes, larger strokes. Leave some white towards the black line because it makes it more interesting. It's a very delicate, transparent weak green. Very close to here where we have shadow and almost white towards the edge. While it is wet, we can take some complimentary color of green. The complimentary color of green is red. So we take some of these Indian red for instance and we draw a shadow. Here, it's too reddish, so I will mix some of these red with my green to get more natural green. Because here we will have shadow. Here, we have our shadow. Just blend it slightly. We can also add some dots of green here and there for a more textured look of the cloth. Now, we go back. We let these stay as it is, and we go back to our croissant for some texture. 6. Watercolor Second Wash: [MUSIC] I will take now a thinner brusher. I will go back to my Indian red, mix it maybe with a touch of burnt umber, and some burnt sienna. We have some very warm reddish-brown. Just mix it until you find the right color. There is no one right color. Whatever color, the important is value, it's not the correct color. It's to vary color. We watch our reference image, and we apply more color where we think it's needed. [MUSIC] Either because there is more shadow or because it's more baked here. Along this line in the middle like this. [MUSIC] Our burnt sienna, we'll concentrate here. More here in the the bottom, and then some stripes in the middle. I have some red here and there for variety. Back to my burnt sienna. [MUSIC] Here at the bottom. [MUSIC] Be careful, see there are drops of water. Clean them before they fall on your drawings. [MUSIC] Now you can take your cadmium yellow, and add some more yellow where they're needed. [MUSIC] You can just blend some lines here, the yellow. [MUSIC] Let this stay. Maybe we add a little brown towards the shadow, the ring here. [MUSIC] Because here it's darker. [MUSIC] If you think that you have shadow, you can add some burnt umber. [MUSIC] I add some yellow ocher to mute a bit this yellow. This is our croissant. Now let's add some shadow below the little cloth. We go back to our shadow color. We add a touch of purple. Here we have some cast shadow. Be careful to fill the holes here so it makes more obvious the movement of the cloth of the fabric. Very little here also because sun is from here. Also, we will have some cast shadow here around it. [MUSIC] Add some more bluish here. [MUSIC] Must have the same direction of this cast shadow here. You will have this cast shadow here. Then you can blend it with some bigger brush here and oaf so cleaner [MUSIC] like this. Now we need some more cast shadow around the croissant. I think that I will put my cast shadow gray here. [MUSIC] Follow just the shape of the croissant. I think that some blue note might be perfect here. [MUSIC] Then just blend it a little because it's close. You can add some more gray. Some darker here. Here I see some white, you shouldn't see white here. Just touch it here so you will get the darker value, no whites here. Also, you can take some burnt sienna, and just add some central lines here for added texture. You're going to have a clear separation between the burnt sienna and the yellow. Last, but not least, in Italy, we put cocoa powder on the cappuccino. I will take some burnt umber, [MUSIC] and with a very thin touch here and there. [MUSIC] This is exactly what I wanted to achieve. Now we can accentuate those shadows of the spoon and of the handle. I take my gray, and I draw a very thin line here and here. Also, I can put my burnt umber, and I can draw some shadow here on this side. [MUSIC] Because on this side, there would be some cast shadow from the [MUSIC] rim of the cup. [MUSIC] I will stop now. I let it dry, and then we'll come back for final consideration. [MUSIC] 7. Final Thoughts: [MUSIC] We have finished together our sketch. I hope it was a fun class. I hope you learned something. You have also learned something about the Italian food. I see you in my next class. Don't forget to post your projects in the project gallery so that I can give you my feedback. Also if you post your project on social media, you can tag me on Instagram. You can find me under my name, Elizabeth [inaudible] Thanks a lot for having joined the class and having sketch with me. It was a great experience for me and hopefully you too. Ciao.