Fun & Easy watercolor techniques for beginners

1. Introduction: Hello, I am. Send her Herman's, and I'm a watercolor artist and surface designer from the Netherlands. I sell my art on platforms like Etsy and print on demand sites like Society6 and Redbubble and Spoonflower. I also love to teach and inspire other people to grow their own creative skills, to learn how to paint with mediums like watercolor, and also how to grow their own creative business. In this class, I will teach you the really basic watercolor techniques that you'll need to grow your watercolor skills and to grow really confident with the medium. And I'm going to do this in a really fun and easy way. We first are going to cover the real basics and then we're going to do some really cool and fun techniques to create different kinds of textures and to really grow confident with using watercolors and watercolor brushes. After, we covered all the basics and different things and we've done a lot of exercises. We are going to work on the class project. And the class project consists of four assignments. We're going to be creating for art prints, all different kinds. And we can do all this with all the things we've learned in the exercises before. This class is for beginners and also intermediate who are looking for the next level. So again, a little more confidence or looking to learn a few new skills. Also, this is a great video if you're looking for inspiration or if you, if you're having a creative block, then this is a really nice way to start again. And off Thursday's class, you will be able to get your watercolor paintings to the next level and also start with more intermediate Oracle or adolescence. So I can't wait to get started. I really hope that you decide to join and I'll see you there. 2. Class Outline: Hello and welcome to this Skillshare class, fun and easy watercolor techniques for beginners. In this class, we are going to start out with the real basic watercolor techniques, like watercolor washes and wet on wet and wet on dry technique. After that, we're going to do some really fun things with creating textures, with watercolor. And in all the classes, we're going to do exercises, which you can follow along with me and also decide to do it more often if you'd like to or if you feel that you need to practice it a bit more often. After we have done all this classes, there is the class project, which consists of four assignments we will be creating for art prints in different topics. The first one is an abstract art prints. Then we're going to create a landscape than a leafs art prints and then galaxy art print. And all four, you can follow along with me or decide yourself or which direction you are going to go. Because the outline and the steps of the assignment, the conditions will be posted in the class and everything is also available in the class workbook, which you can find in the link below. So of course, the project needs to be posted in the class project so you can receive feedback from me and also your fellow Skillshare plus followers. So let's go to the next video. See what materials you need to follow this class. 3. Materials: For this skill share class, you're going to need these materials to be able to follow along. You can pause the video here and write these materials down. But you can also find them listed in the class workbook. So first of all, you're going to need watercolor paper. And it doesn't matter if it's cheap or expensive paper. But one important thing to look at is the weight. You want it to be at least 300 g/m² or 140 pounds per square meter. We're going to be working on full-sized papers, but especially for the exercises. We also will be working on a smaller pieces. So for these, I've folded papers into four and cut it out. You can use both horizontal and vertical. So of course, you're also going to need watercolor paint. And it doesn't matter if cheap or expensive or the colors. I've been using, all kinds of colors. So you can work with Archer, have brushes. We're going to be working with round brushes, mostly in several sizes. So a large one, somewhere around 14 or even larger if you have it. A size 810, but also a smaller one, like size one. And you're going to be using a flat brush, a size three. You're going to need two jars with clean water. And I've put some washi tape on top so that I don't mix them with my tea. And I'm also using a bottle with water to spray, which is optional. Of course, you're going to need some old rags and, or paper towels to clean off your brush. And for the textures, we are going to needing some salt and rubbing alcohol. And we're going to need masking tape and or washi tape to fixate your paper to your surface. And also for one of the exercises, masking fluid. You can use this kind that you apply with a brush or you can use a pen, white goulash, white oil, pastel, crayon, and white gel, pen or marker. One other thing that I use, which is completely optional, or drawing boards, I fixate the paper onto the board with masking tape, washi tape. But you can also do that on your table or any surface that you're working on. So now that you've gathered all your materials, we can start with the class. 4. Watercolor Washes: We are going to start out painting watercolor washes. Watercolor wash is a technique where the paint pigments are diluted with water and applied to the surface and smooth and even matter to create a light delicate effect. This method can be used to paint larger areas like backgrounds, skies, and other areas with paint. And the final result depends on how many pigments and water you're using, the surface you're applying it to what kind of watercolor paper texture that you have. And if when you are applying it, you are going to be doing some kind of manipulating. So we're going to start out with a flat washes, which basically means you want to have as minimal brushstrokes visible in urine results. So as you can see, we're going to work with dry flat washes and wet flat washes. And although the differences are going to be minimum, I hope that you will see that when you paint with wet flat washes, that the edges are going to be less Krista going to be much smoother. I'm going to start every exercise by fixating paper to my drawing board. I use washi tape or masking tape for this. And so depending on what we're going to be doing, I am going to attach one or two pieces to create a flat wash. You want to put a lot of water on your brush, including a lot of paint pigment. This way, you want to make us less brushstrokes as possible. For this, the bigger the brush, the easiest way you can cover an entire piece of paper with the least amount of brushstrokes. So as you can see, I am using a brush that probably could be bigger. And I am starting out ethyl left. I'm making brushstrokes to the right. And I'm trying to smoothly and delicately blend in the watercolor stripes. So this being a dry flat wash, we started out on a dry piece of paper. Now, when we are going to create the wet flat wash, we are going to first wet the paper. And you can do this with your brush. You could also use your bottle with water to spray it wet. And then when the paper is wet, we're going to do the same thing as we did with the dry flat wash. Loading up the brush with a lot of paint and water and create strokes starting in the top and then going down. And I decided to switch brushes. I am painting with a bigger brush now that I need to do less and less strokes, this way, you will see less lines. Now I am smoothly going over the paper in big strokes and try to blend in delicately all the paints together. And when you're done, it's time to let it dry. So one of my favorite part is removing your washi tape. And here's the results. We're going to do the second just to get a hang of it. As you can see, I already fixated my paper to the board. I've got four separate pieces of paper and I touched him with some washi tape. We're going to do to dry flat washes into what flat washes. And I decided that we're going to practice with a smaller surface. So this way, it is an easier way to make a less brushstrokes, so the least strokes as possible. And let's try an experiment if you can create a watercolor wash with a smooth surface as possible. So for this second dry flat wash, I'm really loading up my brush with a lot of pigment. Some speeding up the video for a bit here. We're just taking the same steps. And if you need it, then just pause the video for a moment until you catch up. So now we're going to do to wet flat washes. So we're first wetting the paper. The left one I am making with the brush in water and the second surface, I'm going to wet by spraying water puddle. So let's just see if it's going to make any difference. So continuing, we're going to be taking the same steps as with the dry flat wash and Cs. We probably already know the steps we're going to take. I am going to speed up the video just a bit. Of course, if you feel the need to pause the video to catch up, just do that and otherwise, follow along. Here are the results. And I think that what washes truly have a smoother surface. So I'm wondering, how did it work out for you? So I know these exercises don't look really exciting yet, but there's a reason that I want you to try out these techniques and learn the difference. Because when you are going to be painting compositions, then you need to know when you're going to be using which technique because it has an effect. If you want to paint a portrait and you are painting the skin color, and at the same time you're painting the hair color, then you will notice that immediately the paints are starting to blend into each other. Phase has got all these brown hair color swatches in it. So for this, you know, that you need to be using wet on dry techniques. Wait for the paint dry before you are going to paint another layer. But there are also moments when using the wet on wet technique. So already painting a layer and then add in some more paint with a different color that you are creating, the fact that you want. So we're just starting out with a few basic techniques and later on we're going to be using them on. We're going to be creating compositions. So a gradient wash is a watercolor technique where the color gradually changes from one zone to another, creating a smooth transition between two more hues. So I started out by fixating two pieces of paper to my drawing board. And we are going to start the same way as we did with the flood washes. Only. This time we are going to clean off our brush, make it wet with clean water, and don't add new paint on our brush while repeatedly creating brushstrokes. So while we're moving down, the pigment on our brush grows thinner. So you see that the pink pigment on top of the painting is darker and it's almost always clear at the bottom. So I'm doing it again. And this time I tried starting out with some more pigment so that it's easier to see the difference. So now we're going to do another exercise, painting the gradient Porsches. And for this, I got my paper so that we are going to be painting more vertical so that you can better see the change in color pigment. And basically we're just taking the same steps. I know it's a lot of repetition, but this is just so that you can really get a hang of what we're doing. And I suggest that you try this out as often as needed just to really get a hang of it. So for the fun of it, second gradient wash I'm doing now. I am doing with a smaller brush. I am still taking the same steps, cleaning off my brush a bit, adding some clean water on my brush, and then continuing to sweep the brushstrokes going down. Now it's very, very light on the camera here. But I can see a real difference here. But still, we are going to a clear white surface at the bottom and some high pigment at the top. So wonder, all right, and you can really see the effect of the gradients. For our last watercolor washes exercise, we're going to do variegated washes, which basically are the same as gradient watercolors. Only. We are going to transfer into different color. So we're starting out by fixating our paper to our board or table. And this time we are starting out at the bottom of the paper. So I picked one color. I went for blue. And I am painting brush strokes from the bottom up to the top. And in-between, I'm cleaning off my brush and make sure that the wash is getting lighter just as we did with other gradient wash. But now the top of the paper is wet. And we're going to pick a whole other color. And we are going to do the same process at now, from up until down. And then somewhere in the middle, you will see that the colors. We'll softly blend into each other. So doing it again at the bottom this time I'm starting at the top of the paper, again with red. And this time I'm going to continue painting with some pigment in my water and picking a whole other color, again, blending it in the middle. Now, do another variegated wash, this time with long vertical pieces of paper. And for this, I want to be adding a multiple colors in one composition. So for these ongoing for a rainbow effect started out with purple and now some dark blue. And now we're adding some green. So basically, I keep on doing the same thing. Adding some pigment to your brush, then clean off your brush and picking up another color. Now as you can see, I'm painting quite wet. The paints are really blending into each other. If you paint with less water, effect will be a little less, but either way, the colors will be blending into each other. So now picking orange, don't forget to clean your brush in-between. And now I am adding red at the bottom. Going for the next one. This time, I like to start out with a really dark blue with indigo. And I'm going to pick multiple blues and greens. And just I suggest you pick some colors that you really like and try to blend them into each other. So it's not that we're really doing the blending ourselves. We're just painting the strokes. I'm touching each other and for a small part over each other. And then the watercolor paint is doing the planning itself. See how the blue paint is moving up through the already wet paint. It's really the cool thing about watercolor. And I think one of the biggest reasons why this is my favorite paint medium. Finishing this one off with some more indigo. And we are done. We have covered like to real basic watercolor painting now. And I think from this moment on, it is only getting better. 5. Wet-on-wet: So we've been working with the watercolor washes. And as you may have noticed, there's a difference when you paint on a dry surface and when you paint on a wet surface. For the next two lessons, we're going to dive into the wet on wet and wet on dry technique, starting with the wet on wet technique. So let's begin. So for our first exercise, we are going to be painting wet on wet. And for this, we are going to start by wetting our paper with water. You can do this with your brush or you can use a bottle of water you sprayed on. Now, let's pick some really vibrant colors and just dropping the paint. And you will immediately see that the paint is flowing through the water. And if you're going to be picking multiple colors, then you can see how the paint is going to be blending in. And there is no plan. This is a really playful exercise, just experimenting, trying it out. I really like to pick several colors and try not to blend them myself. Just makes sure that the paint, the different colors are touching each other and then just see what the watercolor paint is doing itself. When doing exercises like these, I always like to fixate multiple pieces of paper to my board so that I can try out the same exercise in different ways. I suggest that you do the same and experiments keep it playful. And for now, I'm going to speed up the video a bit. Of course, if it's going too fast, don't hesitate to post a video for a bit. And when you're done, it's time to let it dry and see how the end result is going to turn out. Now for our next exercise, we are going to use an entire piece of paper and we're not going to wet it first. Instead, we are going to be painting shapes, simple brush strokes, shapes, or anything that you like. And then a while the paint of the shapes is still wet, we're going to drop in more paint. And you can do this with the same color. You can also do this with different colors. So also a very, very playful exercise. Let me show you again. These are the shapes that I will be painting right now, just to give you a little bit inspiration. But just go ahead and try out things that you like to do it yourself. The exercise is all about creating shapes. And while the paint is still wet, dropping colors. And then we're going to let it dry and see what happens. So this is one of my favorite things about painting with watercolors. When you see the color, the paint is traveling, flowing through the layer underneath. So again, this is just what I'm talking about when I say have fun and experiment, drop in the colors and watch how the paint is moving. Because the steps are easy to follow. I'm going to speed up the video again. And of course, don't hesitate to pause the video and look back if necessary. And because the video is speeded up now, it's very easy to see and also very satisfying how the colors are flowing through the paint. When we are finished with painting all the shapes, It's time to let it dry. So for this exercise, we're going to paint again on a large piece of paper. You can also decide to use two separate parts. At first, I am wedding, the top of the paper. And then we're going to be dropping in paint and try to shape them as circles. Now the bottom part of this paper, I didn't make wet. And we're also going to be painting circles on there. And it's just to show you the difference between painting on the wet surface and on a dry surface. Again, watch the paint flow through the wet layer. Drop in some extra paint. You can use the same color if you want to. You can also already started out with another color. Now, as I said, for the bottom piece of the paper, I am painting circles. They don't need to be perfect. And I'm starting out with all the circles in the same color and making sure they are not touching each other yet. For that, I want to pick a different color. So I am going to be painting circles in between. And I am making sure that the circles will be touching each other. And this way, you see that the paint is going to be blending in. We are going to repeat this step a few times with different colors. At this point, I'm not even painting circles anymore. I'm just dropping in the paint. So we've been painting really wet. And then it can happen that you've got too much water on your paper and you want to get rid of some of the excess water. So you can use a Q-tip or a piece of folded paper tissue and depth a bit very carefully on the paint and the paper roll will end the order Q-tip will suck up the excess paint. Now I like to add some more details on the painting on top of the paper. Only here the problem is that the paper is too dry. So I'm using my bottle of water to spray some water on the paper to make it wet. And if you do this enough, you see that the paint is starting to flow again. So I'm just adding some dots and just keeping it playful and seeing how the watercolor is flowing through my paper. And when you're done, let the painting try and see how it's going to turn out. So we know finished the wet on wet technique exercises and we're moving on to the wet on dry technique. 6. Wet-on-dry: So now that we have been practicing with the wet on wet technique, it's time to have fun with the wet on dry technique. With the wet and dry technique, we will be painting more with layers. So this means that when you have painted something, you first need to be patient and let it dry before we can continue. So after painting wet on wet, it's time to start with painting wet on dry. For this, we're going to be working in layers. So our first step is to paint a light flat wash on the piece of paper and then let it dry before we continue to the next step. It might be difficult to see, but here I am painting a light purple wash. Now that first layer is dry, we're going to the next step. And for this, we are going to be painting small rectangle shapes in rows. For this, I am using a medium-size round brush. And I like to have fun with a pointy tip, so you can use it for the detailed strokes you're making. And this is very repetitive exercise. Therefore, I am going to speed up this video as I am going to be painting all the rows. So enjoy. This is a very mindful exercise. But I think you are going to really like the results. Now that the layer is dry, we are going to, the next step. For this. We're going to be picking a few different colors. And we're going to be painting in some shapes. Within the shapes we already painted. Smaller rectangles or squares or stripes. I'm going to be mixing it up all over the painting. So it's just very playful painting composition that we're going to make. I'm also speeding up this part of the video. Don't hesitate to post the video when needed. When you're satisfied with your layer, let it dry. And then we're going to repeat this step one more time. What you're starting to see now is a really cool effect of painting wet on dry. You are in more control over the shapes that you're painting. And still, because watercolor is transparent, you can see colors through the layers. And I personally really like this effect. Now, let to try it one more time and then this piece is finished. So now we're going to do another exercise with wet on dry. For this, we will be painting circles again. Only this time we're going to let the circles dry before we are going to be adding more. Also, because these steps are very easy. I am going to speed up the video again. Adding circles in another color, still making sure that the circles are not touching each other. When you're satisfied, it is time to let this first layer dry. So now that the layer is dry, we are going to be adding our second layer. For this, we will be painting more circles. And you will be painting them in between the circles or on top of them, or like half covering them and just make it a very playful and play around. Also, you can play around with the colors. You can paint over circle with the same color or use a different one. Well, just have fun. Again, speeding it up a bit. Now what I always find challenging when I'm doing something like this is trying not to forget which circle I had just painted so that I don't accidentally paint over a wet circle. Of course, this can always happen and I try not to get too bummed about it. But for this, I wanted to show you the effect of painting dry on dry. And I see at least one circle now where that did not entirely go according to plan. So off there, the second layer has dried. We are going to be adding a third layer, which basically is repeating the same steps as before. So again, I'm going to speed up the video. She may notice painting with the wet on dry technique means a lot of waiting between the layers. So I guess you need a bit more patients for this technique. And this is the result. Now it's time for our last wet on dry exercise. For this, I'm going to be doing the same exercise on two pieces of paper next to each other. What the steps are the same. I will be using two different colors. I will be painting with purple on left and red on the right. I'm, I'm going to be using the same color of paint for each piece of paper. We're going to be painting in layers again. So we're starting off with painting flat washes and then let, let them dry. The first layer has dried. We're going to start with step two. The second layer. For this, we're going to be starting not entirely at the top of the paper, but slightly below. And we're going to be painting another flat wash. And for this is nice if you don't make the line to straight. And then just paint a flat wash just as we did before. And because we are painting layer on layer, you will see that the layer is going to be darker than the layer below. Speeding up the video again and again, don't hesitate to pause when you need to. Time for the third layer. And we're going to be repeating the steps only starting halfway the paper. Again, speeding it up. Adding another layer, this time, a little bit lower. Time for our last layer. So now we have finished the wet on wet technique and the wet on dry technique exercises. And we also have been practicing with the watercolor washes. This altogether. I think we have laid a really good foundation with the watercolor skills. And it is time to move on to really, really fun watercolor techniques. For stuff. Watercolor blooms. 7. Watercolor blooms: It is time to start working with watercolor blooms. Now, what is a watercolor bloom? You can hear it in the name. It is a term to describe a spread of color that occurs in watercolor painting when water is added to the painting. So the water causes the paint to spread and then dry. And this creates this bloom even cauliflower shape in a texture of the painting. This is often used to create a natural and organic look in a watercolor painting. And in some disciplines, this is even something that you don't want to do. So something that you want to avoid. Firstly, I always love to add watercolor blooms in a watercolor painting because it gives it more character and it's also really fun way to add colors into a painting. So let's get started. For this exercise. Fixate two pieces of paper to your board or to your, to your table. And we're going to be starting with painting flat washes. So pick any color that you'd like to paint with and start painting. Then while the paint is still wet, you will be picking up some clean water with your brush and just drop in to your still wet painting. You see that the water is moving through the paint. Now, what will happen when this painting is going to dry? It was going to leave the blooming edges as we have talked about. So as I always love to do multiple versions of one exercise, start painting the second paper. Create a really pretty flat wash. And when you're done, do the same thing, dropping some water drops. And what you can also try to do is drop them in, but actually touch the paper with your brush and see if that creates any difference. Now, I am doing this exercise again on different watercolor paper, just to show you that it matters. What kind of paper texture you have to get a certain result. So if you don't have any other watercolor texture paper, that's alright. But if you do, then it could be a really fun exercise for you to just try this out on different kinds of paper and see if there are any changes in the fact that you have. Otherwise you can easily follow along on watercolor paper that you have. And basically, we are repeating the same steps as before. Painting watercolor, wash and dropping some clean water. And when you're done, it's time to let it dry and see what the result is going to look like. As you can see, I've pointed the arrows at two places where it's really obvious to see the watercolor blooms. And there are even much more places than the places where I mark them. So basically anywhere that you can see that the harsh edges kind of looking like a blue, more like a cauliflower. That's what we have been creating. So I'm really curious if you have the same effect with your exercise. So now we're going to do another really cool exercise to create watercolor blooms. For this, you'll be using a large piece of paper. And we'll be painting shapes with watercolor, just like we did with one of the wet on wet exercises. And again, we will be dropping in the colors. This time with the thought that we deliberately wants to be creating the watercolor blooms. So not only are we going to do this by dropping in clean water, we also are going to do it is by dropping in colors, because then you will see it also with colors. You can create a watercolor blooms. And yes, it's really, really great effect. Also. Again, play around. So basically this is kind of a repetition from what we have been doing with the wet on wet technique. But basically, now you can see, are now he know that the effect that we are creating here are in fact the watercolor blooms. So I'm going to speed up the video a bit and feel free to pause whenever necessary. So now that we're finished, it is time to let it dry and see the result. So as you can see, there are a lot of watercolor blooms in these pretty images. So I hope that you had a lot of fun with this exercise and that you also had a really cool results. So yay, we're done with the watercolor blooms. And now we are going to another really fun exercise and we will be working with assault texture. 8. Salt texture: So now we're going to be working with salt. When we're painting with watercolor and sprinkle some salt on top of it. The salt will absorb the water. So this has an effect of how paint is going to dry up and it's going to leave a texture. And of course, the size of the grain matters. If you're using a really fine salt grains, then the effect is going to look different than if you'd be using a thicker grains. I prefer to use these really thick sea salt grains when I'm using them. So I suggest we'll get started with the exercise. For this fixate two pieces of paper to your drawing board or your surface. And again, paint, start painting. A watercolor wash. The first painting I am going to paint a flat wash. But the second one, I am going to make a really playful and colorful. It is entirely up to you what you want to paint. If you want to make only flat washes or make it really colorful, I suggest play around and use colors that you really like. And the most important thing is that you sprinkle salt on top of the painting while the paint is still wet? For me. Now is the time to sprinkle salt on top of my painting. This painting can dry and we can start on the second one. So for me, I am going to make this one a more colorful, really playful. And at this point, I'm going to speed up the video a little bit. So this time I wet the paper first and I'm dropping in some colors. So working with the wet on wet technique, I really liked get playful and dropping all kinds of colors. When I'm ready, I am going to drop on the salt. And now it's time to let it dry. When the paint is dry, you can rub off the salt. You can do this with your fingers or use a brush if you prefer to make sure that the paint is dry before you do this, otherwise, you are come to smudge it. So we're finished with this lesson. This was a quick one. The next one also is going to be a short lesson, but also a very awesome texture to work with. We're going to work with alcohol. 9. Alcohol texture: So now we're going to work on another really cool texture with watercolor. We're going to create it with alcohol. So I'll be using some rubbing alcohol for these. And if you don't have it, you can also use some other transparent alcohol. But of course, you it's preferable to use something like rubbing alcohol. And well, the thing is with alcohol, if you use it on wet watercolor, is going to be moving to paint away. So it's really creating a really cool effect. So I suggest we get started for this. As I said, I'm using rubbing alcohol. I start with opening a bottle because sometimes I've got some problems with it. So it's ready to go. Because we are going to be painting a watercolor washes a wants to dropping the alcohol drops when the paint is still wet. So again, fixate two pieces of paper to your drawing board or to the surface and start painting a watercolor wash. Also. The same with the assault texture. The first one I've chosen is going to be a flat wash. And the second painting, I'm going to be making more colorful. When the first watercolor wash is finished, it's time to grab a smaller brush. And with the smaller brush, I'm dropping some alcohol drops into your paint. And you can see immediately the effect of the alcohol pushing away the paint. And you see the first drop, it was bigger and then I'm trying to be more gentle about it. So I suggest also play around. I'm also going to do that, making stripes and shapes and just play around and see the effect alcohol has. Also, if you would, paint on oral, drop the alcohol on the place where the paint is dry, then you see that nothing will happen on this. I see that I don't have enough alcohol on my brush and nothing is happening. So again, just play around and have fun. Now it's time to let this, this piece dry and we can move on to our second painting. As I said, I'm going to make this more colorful. So I'm going to be dropping in a lot of colors. And then we are going to do the same thing with dropping the alcohol. I'm going to speed up the video a bit for now. And of course, don't hesitate to post video when needed. So done with painting, the watercolor wash, really colorful and I'm grabbing my small brush again and I'm dropping in alcohol into the paint. So I like to go to the places where the pains are really dark, really pigment it. I'm just playing around now, again, making different kinds of shapes. And again, suggesting that you do the same, play around and experiment. I'm going to speed up the video a bit again. So don't hesitate to post the video when necessary. And when we're ready, it's time to let it dry. So we finished with the alcohol texture exercises, and I hope that you had as much fun as I had. So now we're moving on to yet another really fun exercise, a thing that you can do with watercolor. And we will be using crayons. 10. Crayons: So now we're going to do something really cool. We are going to be working with watercolors and oil crayons. So the thing is with oil crayons, they are going to act as a resist, preventing the watercolor from spreading and blending. This can lead to very interesting textures, and it also allows for a creation of crisp lines and details depending on the size of the cranium that you're using. Because oil and water do not mix, oil, crayons may become difficult to remove or alter once the watercolor has been applied. But they can be problem. We're going to do a really fun exercise and see how it's considered. So I have this set with oil crayons or oil pastel, and I am picking only to white for this exercise. We're going to start out on a large piece of paper with a white oil crayon, and now will be just drawing something on the paper. You can choose to pick a subject like painting, drawing flowers. I am, I think I'm going for something abstract. So I'm just drawing some lines. You won't be able to see what I'm doing here at this point. I am also not really seeing what I'm drawing because the crayon is wide as is the paper. So I guess I'm drawing in some circles now and I'm just playing around and trying to cover the entire area with some crayon doodling. So when you are done with your drawing, it is time to start painting and see what cool thing is going to happen. I'm using a big brush, size 14. And I am going to pick random colors and just going over the paper and you immediately see what happens when the watercolor paint is touching the oil crown. The oil CRAN really is working as a resist and the paint doesn't attach to the paper. So you get this really cool effect of the drawing that we just made can see now becoming feasible. I think it's really fun to mix colors. Now, as I said, I went for an abstract painting. It could be that you chose a subject like flowers or something. And you are going for an entirely different approach with painting. Again, for me, I'm just keeping it playful and picking all kinds of different colors. Also at the same time. As you may see, I am using the wet on wet technique when it comes to blending in the colors. So I am adding a different color next to another color and the paint is blending into each other because the paint is still wet. Now continue doing this and I am going to speed up the video a bit. So when you're done, it's time to let the painting dry. Also, it's very important to clean off your brush because there can be some residue from the oil crayons on it. So use some water and mild soap and it's good as new. So we are done with the crayons and watercolor exercise. I really hope that you enjoyed it and if you are loving the result for our next exercise, we are also going to do something really cool with masking tape and masking fluids. 11. Masking tape: In this exercise, we are going to be working with masking tape and masking fluid. With tape and fluid, we are going to golfer pieces of the paper where we don't want the paint to come. So that after we finished with the painting, that area is still white. So there are certain occasions when you want to leave a part of your painting, white, masking, tape and fluid. Our tools we can use for that purpose. Well, when it comes to masking tape, there are several things you can use. Actual masking tape or different kinds of qualities. You can also use washi tape if you have it. The only thing that you need to look out for is that it, you want it to attach to the paper enough so that when you're painting alongside of it or over it, that it doesn't come loose very easily and that the paint doesn't very easily flow under it because well, then there's no point in using it. But at the other hand, you also don't want the paper to rip. When you remove the tape, you want it to be easily removed from your paper. So that's why I prefer to use masking tape, but this is a very wide so I also have got these smaller ones. If you want to be painting with more details. And then there's masking fluid. I will be using this and I will be using it with with a brush, small brush. But there are many ways you can use masking fluid. And there are even pence also with very sharp points. So you can make really thin lines, are really thin details. If you have it, please use it. I'll be working with this. You will, it will show the effect either way. So let's get started. We're going to start off with a large piece of paper. And then with masking tape, we're going to fixate the edges of the painting. Once we're finished, we are going to have some really crisp white borders. Then the fun part with the smaller washi tape or masking tape. I'm going to create a geometrical shape. It's kind of like a star-shaped. We're going to fixate the tape from one corner to the other and then go around the entire paper. I'm going to show you an example. You can follow along or try to make your own shape. And of course, if you don't have the rules small tape, you won't be able to reach the same level of details as I'm working with here. So try to make the best of what kind of tape that you have. And as I said, it's also does matter if you're going for an entire different shape to create something. So that once we start painting, you're going to see the effect of masking out areas of the paint area. I'm going to speed up the video a bit. So pulse whenever you need. So now we're done with our preparation and we can start with painting. Now what I'm going to do is paint one color in each pie slice. If you can call it a pie slice. And I think I want to go with all the colors of the rainbow around the painting. And I also like it if I am going to paint over the masking tape and have some color blending over it. Because I think it's going to be really cool effect once everything has dried and the masking tape has been removed. So you can follow along or decide your own colors, especially if you are making a different shape. So right now, I'm going to speed up the video just a little bit. And of course, pause whenever necessary. Now that we're done with painting, it is time to let it dry. Make sure that the paint is really dry before starting to pull off the masking tape. Because otherwise you still have some paint blending in on places where you don't want it to be. So when it's time to remove the masking tape also tried to be very gentle because you don't want to accidentally rip off some paper. And also sometimes you need to pay attention which of the tape pieces is lying on top? Yeah, and for me, removing masking tape is always a very satisfying and mindful moment. So I say, enjoy this moment for yourself. Yea, and it's done. And it's looking really beautiful. But as you can see, when removing the tape, I accidentally scratched off some of the painted surfaces. So I am going to try to fix it with some paint and blend. I'm trying to blend it in with the paint layer so that once it is dried and it's finished, you won't see that I make this correction. So hopefully this is not necessary for you. I just wanted to show you that this can happen. And as you see, it also happens to me. So again, that's why you need to be really careful when removing the tape. But also if it does happen, then still no worries. These are things that you can easily fix. So that was a really cool masking tape exercise and our guns to move on to the masking fluid exercise. 12. Masking fluid: Now it's time to get started with the masking fluid for this tape, two pieces of paper to your drawing board or a surface, and make sure that you've got your masking fluid ready to go. So I'll be working with this fluid and small brush. If you have a fluid marker or anything else, you can also use it. The difference between this and the tape is that we are going to actually be painting or drawing our shape onto our paper. Now I'm being very expressive here. On this left painting, I am making waves. So it could be a C, it could be a hillside. It could be anything. I have not really thought about it. I just like to go with the motion of waves. So fluid is flowing motions up and down. You can follow along with me. Or you can try to create something yourself. Of course, it's very hard to see what I'm doing here because I'm painting with white on white. But I hope that you get that. I'm really making those wavy lines. Now on the second painting, I think I'm going to create flowers. So I'm creating some dots for the center of the flower. And then with the masking fluid, I am trying to create some petals. I'm using a small brush, but still, if you're using a fluid marker, you can make even smaller lines than what I'm doing right now. Still I think this is going to look really great. You probably can't see it very well, but inside of the petals, I am trying to also put in a few brush strokes so that the flowers can get real shape. And I'm going to be filling up this piece of paper entirely with the flowers in the corners. I think I'm going to be painting a few leaves just so that I have my entire piece of paper filled when I'm done. So after you're done with the masking fluid, it's time to let it dry and really makes sure that the fluid has dried enough before you start painting. So now for the lift painting, I decided to go with greens. So probably this is going to be some kind of landscape view. That's what I love about this kind of painting. It's really a very mindful exercise, very playful. And just see where this is going to feel. What kind of color you like to add in and play around a bit. Yeah, so basically a lot of fun. And especially because you already marked your painting, but now when you're adding the paint, you can see it really get together. I'm speeding up the video. Please pause whenever necessary. As you can see, I'm mixing up different kinds of greens while I'm moving upwards of the painting. Also, I don t think I'm going to be painting the upper part of this paper. So that it looks like that is this guy. Alright, so now it's time to start with our flowers. For these, I think I'm going to be painting with reds and oranges and pinks, trying to paint in the petals. But still also try to make sure that I am going over the lines just to see the effect of fluid. Hes. So this is a really cool way to paint, really loose, but still at the same time, create a really cool composition. Speeding itself. So again, pause whenever needed. Now that I think I covered all the flowers, I'm going to add greens in between so that it can form the background of the leaves. So author, the painting has dried. I decided it will be fun to add another layer with some more details. So I am going to be painting some brushstrokes on top of the green waves or the green hills. This is something that I thought would be really cool to do because it has got these wavy motion and I like to emphasize that I'm speeding up the video. Please pause whenever necessary. I'm also adding some details on the flower painting. I'm speeding up this part of the video really fast because this takes a lot of time. So now that the masking fluid has come off, I decided to paint in some of the white lines with some really delicate lines because I think that will make the composition even more pretty. So. Of course, if you would be working with a Moscow flowed marker with a really a sharp point, then you can already used masking fluid to make these really detailed lines. But for now, I'm really loving the result. And you can see the effect the masking fluid has and how it's cutting out wide from the painting that you created. I also really hope that you are happy with your own results. And of course, feel free to add details or anything that you like for your own paintings. So we're done with the masking tape and the masking fluid. I really hope that you enjoyed it. So what I want to say about the masking fluid is that there is so much more that you can do than what we've done just now. This was a really easy and a really loose exercise. But you can use it for really, really detailed areas or even larger pieces. Also. I really hope that you had a first good experience with the masking fluid and of course the chat. A lot of fun. And I really hope that you like the result of your own paintings. 13. Brush strokes: We have been working with many watercolor techniques to cover the real basics. We have worked with watercolor washes and exercised with the wet on wet and wet on dry technique. And also we covered some really fun watercolor techniques. Now before we can move on to our class project, I want to cover one more thing with you, and that is brushstrokes. I want to go practice some brushstrokes with you because there's also a very important thing to master if you want to create beautiful watercolor compositions. So let's get started. So in the next exercise, I will be painting a lot of brushstrokes with several kinds of brushes. Especially when you're beginning watercolor artist is really nice to follow along and try this as many times as you like. Because you will gain confidence and get to learn the brushes and what you can do with it. We're going to start on a large piece of paper which is flipped horizontal. For this, I'm using a size eight brush with a pointy tip. And what we're starting out now is painting brushstrokes. And as you can see, I am pushing or pulling pressure on the brush. So I'm starting with a really thin line and then making it thicker and thicker. So starting out with the tip of the brush and then pushing it more down. And after painting straight lines, we can also paint curvy lines. Again, painting with the tip of your brush and painting the strokes by pushing the brush more down. So this really is something you can follow along and exercise a field, a difference in your brush. So also it's really nice to create short brushstrokes. These for a source with the tip of the brush. And now you see the difference. When I'm putting more pressure can also make the brush strokes more curvy. So we really tried to follow along and exercise. Especially if you don't have much experience with painting, is a really good idea to paint the lines as I'm doing it right now with several types of brushes. As you can see if you make curved brushstrokes next to each other. This way, you can paint leaves. If you paint on the tip of your brush, you see that you are in very much control and you can try to paint a circle. Now we're going to do the same exercises. So creating the same brushstrokes. Only this time we're not using a round brush, but a flat brush. And of course, you can't get the same results with a flat brush compared to a round brush. Only. If you want to paint a really thin line, you can see you can hold the brush on its side and you can get the same results. Only it will get difficult. Or at least very different if you are going to paint the curvy lines like this. Also with a flat brush, you can paint much thicker lines, also with a very straight effect. So now we're continuing with the short brushstrokes. And I'm using both sides of the brush, also trying to make them curvy. So this really just is a really good exercise if it's going too fast, don't hesitate to pause the video and catch up. And as I said before, it is really nice exercise to duties with a lot of brushes just to get confident and get to know the materials that you're working with. We're continuing with the third brush for this, I picked another round brush and I believe this also is a size eight. Only the difference is that this brush is thicker than the first one I painted with. What I actually want to see is a technique that you can use to paint leaves. So practicing by first touching the paper with the tip of the brush and then press it down. Pull it gently up again. So as you can see, you've got really small edge on both sides of your lines and it's thicker in the middle. And if you add two of those lines close to each other, you get a leaf. So now I'm picking another brush which has a really pointed tip, what is really wide at the base. So with this brush, you can see the effect much better. So I'm pulling it down and then pulling it up first with the tip of the brush and then pulling it all the way down and then gently pulling it backwards and then pulling it up again. So I'm doing it multiple times so that you can see what I'm doing. And if you need to please rewind a bit back and re-watch it, because this is really an essential part. If you understand this, then painting leaves is a very, very easy. So please try this out as many times as you want to. Now we're going to create two compositions with brushstrokes. So fixate two pieces of paper to your trunk board or to surface. Let's start with the first painting. We are going to start with painting few short brushstrokes, and then next to it, a few more brushstrokes, but in the opposite direction. And we are going to be alternating this. So it's like we're painting shapes next to each other. And with this, we're going to be creating a pattern. I picked one color for this and I'm going to continue a little bit more. But while the paint is still wet, I want to go dropping some colors. So I'll be continuing with this now and speeding up the video for a bit. So now it is time to drop in some color. Again, speeding up the video. Now this last one is really easy. One. We are going to be painting really thick brushstrokes. Just a few of them alongside paint, the paper. So I just wanted to show you that how you can manage to create really pretty composition by doing just something that's really simple. And by now, we should be able to paint really cool brushstrokes and also don't forget to be playful about it. As you can see, I am pressing down more and less, just really playing around. And that is how I'm creating these different kind of shaped brushstrokes. I guess at this point, all we need to do is drop in some other colors. And then this was a really quick way to create a pretty composition. There are many cool exercises that you can do to practice brushstrokes. And I only did a few of them with you, but I really hope that it already makes you more confident and you got to know your brushes better. So this is really, really good input. For one. We're going to start with our projects. They're coming up next. 14. Project A: Abstract art print: So we've been doing a lot of exercises now about painting with watercolor. I really basic techniques, how to create watercolor washes, how to work with wet on wet and wet on dry. And also some really cool and fun things to create texture like using salt and alcohol. And now everything that we've learned we are going to combine into our class project. For this, I've picked four topics. For each topic, I created an assignment. So you'll be creating for art prints to post as your class project. And the reason I did this is because this way you are going to be creating for entirely different things. And you really get to use all the skills that we've been practicing so far. The four topics are creating an abstract art print. A landscape, leaves our print and a galaxy. So in this class, we are going to be starting with the abstract art creates. So for this first class project, we are going to be creating an abstract art print. So for this, you don't need to follow along exactly what I did. You can create your own art print. And for this, I put an assignment together, which I'm going to put in the screen right now. And you can follow along these steps. This will help you as a guideline to create your own really cool abstract art prints, which you can share in the class project. So we're going to start on a large piece of paper. And step one is prepared a paper. I prepared it with a some oil crayons. You can also choose to prepare it with masking tape or masking fluid. Now, I decide to start with wetting my paper so I can start out with a wet wash. You can do this too, or you can start out on a dry wash. It's entirely up to you. And now it's time to start painting. Try to use different colors and try using different kinds of shapes. It's all up to you what you're going to do with this. Just keep in mind all the things that we have been doing in exercises. You can add watercolor washes, you can add brushstrokes or even some dots, just dropping colors. Keep it playful and try out things. Just have fun. There is no way you can go wrong with this. And when you're done with this part, it's time to let it dry. And when it's dried, you can start with the next step. So adding some new watercolor layers on top of it, and also includes some salts or alcohol texture in there. You can decide to paint shapes or strokes or a larger areas that all up to you. I'm speeding up my video process and don't hesitate to post if you want to. Now, I'm going to dropping some alcohol for the fun of it. I'm also adding some salt. Time to let it dry. So when the paint is dry, you can rub off the salt or masking fluid or tape whatever you have put on there. You can add a third and last layer with details if you'd like to. Now, I've picked a really small brush and I am going to be adding some really fine details. This is something that I always really like to do, is also something that's very time-consuming. So I'm going to speed up the video here. Of course you don't have to work this detailed as I'm doing. This is something that I personally really like. Or you can do what ever you want the way that you wanted. But feel free to follow along and feel inspired by what I'm doing here. I also find that it's part, it's a really very mindful exercise. You don't really have to think about it. Just go with the flow. When you're done, it's time to let it dry and then enjoyed the results were done. I am so curious as to what you have created. So please don't hesitate to share it in the class project. And let's move on to our second topic. 15. Project B: Landscape art print: So it's time for our second assignment for the class project. In this assignment we're going to be painting a watercolor landscape. When you're an absolute beginner, you might feel like, Oh my God, I don't know how to paint a landscape. But the thing is, you do because that's what we've been practicing so far. We are mainly going to work with the wet on dry technique because we're going to be building layers at some points. We also will be using the wet on wet technique. So the steps that we're going to be taken, I also have them available in the class, project description. And of course, you can follow along with me. I will be painting a landscape as well and include all the steps. But also try to make this your own art print. So for this assignment we are starting on a large piece of paper. And first we are going to wet the paper because we are creating a watercolor wash. And it's easier to use the wet on wet technique to quickly paint the entire piece of paper. So we're starting at the bottom of the paper with some green. With big strokes, we are going to create like a gradient wash, which is darker in the bottom and starting to become lighter as we're going to do. It's up in the bottom. I will be adding some dark green here and moving slightly upwards. I also like to add some darker green on the top here. I am making these wavy motions just to already give it the feeling that we're looking at a flowing landscape. I'm re-wetting the top of the paper again. And now we're going to be starting from the top. This time. I think I'm going for orange to make the sky. If you want to, you can pick a blue or any color you like. So keep in mind that or painting a sky and you can choose whatever color that you like. So I always love to drop in some more colors. At the bottom of what I just painted. I'm adding some yellow. And I also like to add in some red at the top. Now I like to go back to the bottom and with some really dark green, I'm going to just drop in some color here, make it really playful. Just dab, dab, dab, dab. And it's going to blend in, dislike the background layer of what we're going to be doing. Now it's time to let it dry. Now that this painting has dried, you see that there's not much of the details left. All the paint has really blend into each other. This makes a really good background for our next step. So as I mentioned, we are going to be working in layers. So now we're going to start at about two thirds of the paper. And we're going to be painting the horizon like the edge of the hillside and painting it in, I'm going to do this layer, very light and then let it dry and go to the next layer. So now that it's dry, we're going to do the same thing, only a bit lower. Again, we're going to paint a hillside, her a horizon line. And this time I am making my paint a bit thicker so it's easier to see. And then I'm going to blend it down to the bottom so that you can see is really blending into the background, which you want the top of this thing we're painting now to be really crisp line. And then again, let it dry for the next step. We're going to do the same thing again, only this time, a little bit different. So we're starting a left at the same part where we left off going down and then another line across the entire paper going a little bit upwards. So we've got these two hills that we're painting now. And now with some water, you can blend in the paint so that it has really beautiful gradient wash. And then again, it's time to let this dry for the next step. So now that it's dry, I want to emphasize the first hillside. It was too light. So I'm adding some more dark green. And I'm creating this beautiful hill and then with the water blending it downwards. So we've got this gradient wash. Now with the dark green, I'm creating one last hill and lending it in, in the entire bottom there. And then we're going to immediately go to the next step without letting this dry. So we're going to continue for a bit with the wet on wet technique. For this, I'm using a size eight round brush with a really pointed tip. And we will be painting trees. So you start with one line going down into the paint that's still wet, then you're going to playfully, as some lines start really small at the top of the line and going wider while going down. So we're going to paint a few of these trees. So you can have some practice and then add in some paint. And you see because the bottom is still wet, is really blending a flowing into this hillside for really cool effect. We're going to be creating another one. So again, you paint a line down. You see in the bottom is really nicely blending. Now we're going to really like playful horizontal lines and you can even make her more dots than they are Alliance. So really from really loosely painting these stripes and you get this really cool tree effect. And then it's about in the bottom of the hill that we're painting, which is dropping some colors and it has a really loose and cool effect. Alright, painting another one. So one line and then at the top some dots, little stripes and then wider as we're going down. Don't feel discouraged if you have any troubles with painting the trees. You just need to remind yourself that nature isn't perfect and your trees don't need to be perfect either. So just reminding that you need to paint one vertical line and then starting from the top with them really playful short strokes and dots. And then, you know that the tree has got a horizontal lines further branches. And you can paint those. And the way that I'm doing it, it's not painting one horizontal line, but making it really playful, containing off some strokes, just dabbing the brush in this horizontal line. And then there is a tree that you are creating. You can make is really playful and in some more water or paint to make sure that it's flowing a bit better. And you can try different sizes for the trees. So there are bigger ones, are smaller ones some more further away. And if you're having trouble painting the trees, then just stop for a moment and watch as how I am doing this. Perhaps you can even grab another piece of paper and tried out a few times. And don't forget, it doesn't need to be perfect. When I get near the bottom, I always like to add some water to make it more flowing. And I'd also like to add in some paint. Now I like to go back to the trees I painted just before with some really dark green or even some indigo blue. And add some details. So just dab, dab, dab, dab. I'm adding in some paint, pink dots in the motion that I'm doing it. It's giving some extra texture to the trees. I'd also like to dropping some lighter green just to give it some more depth, some more kept adding one more tree in the front with a darker cream. So now we're going to be painting some trees on the hillside in the, in the background. So these trees are going to be much shorter. So to help us on the way, I paint a few short strokes. And then again, a very playful. Just as we did with the trees in the front, we're going to be painting some doors that are blending into each other and give us the look and feel of a forest hillside. Painting a few more trees here, doing this the same way. Adding some more details on the other trees. And then with some water, I am blending in the bottom of the trees into the hillside. Now, I like to sharpen the edge of the hill also here in the bottom. So I am adding some green with some water. I am blending it in. Now. I'm going to be adding some trees on this hillside as well. And I am doing this with a smaller brush so that the dots that I'm making are smaller because the trees, of course, need to look smaller because they are further away. Now, you might not have copied the exact same hillsides as I did. So you need to look at your own painting and add trees as you see fit. Just keep in mind that the further in the distance, the smaller you need to create your trees. Now I love to add some more color in this hillside. So I'm dropping in some yellows and I've already dropped in some loose. Also going to do that on this hill. I guess I like to do this because with the yellow sky and the red sky, I am painting like a sunset. And so the yellow is like the sun, shiny into the trees. Now I like to paint another forest here in the background. So I made this piece wet. Now with some darker green. I am brushing it in to the water. It's flowing. And then I am again at the top, making it really playful strokes and dots. So also this looks like a forest. And the reason that I went for dark green is just so that it looks different. It's a lot of light green there on the painting. And I want to add some contrast, adding in some more orange or yellow. Also adding more green and yellow on this hillside over here. Now, I want to do something about the sky and add some clouds with my bottle of water, I'm spraying it wet. You can also use your brush to do this. And now I'm mixing some reds and some pinks. And I am going to be making brushstrokes into the wet paper. And because we went at it, you see that it's blending in again. So you make really playful strokes, barely touching the paper some points only using the tip of your brush, using big round brush for this. Also dropping in some other colors like orange. Make it really playful. And also some yellows here. Because of course, we are having a sunset, so these beautiful colors are shining into the clouds. I also like to add some yellow just as, as a darker shade. Now I like to incorporate these colors in the rest of our painting as well. So I'm dropping in some of the purple. And I'm also going to do that with the pink and orange, just so that the colors used in this painting are cohesive over the entire length. Now, because I feel like I'm missing some of the color in the hillsides. I'm going to add another hill. You don't have to do this. If you think this is too challenging. What you can see what I'm doing here. I'm making a light wash on top of the dry paint. This hill. I am going to give also a light red wash. So basically because it's transparent, you see the green through it, but it has like this red glow. I'm also adding these red or pink colors into the trees here, just to make it a cohesive painting and the colors really come back everywhere. Also adding some orange in the places where the pink is still wet. Now, I also like to add some orange to this hillside over here. So now I'm not making a flat wash, I'm actually just creating a really short strokes. So you get some texture. Also doing this on this hillside, adding some pink as well. So basically, we're creating this really beautiful sunset time of the day with this beautiful colors. And that was a finishing touch on a place where you know that the paint is dry with a really small brush size. And some are black or indigo watercolor paint. To paint a few birds. So just some easy strokes which your brush, and now it's time to let it dry. 16. Project C: Leaves art print: So we just painted a really beautiful landscape for our second project. Now, for our third project, we are going to paint an art print with elifs. So for this one we're also going to mostly use to dry on dry technique and work in layers. Let's get started. For this project. We're going to start on a large piece of paper with a small brush size one. And with a light brown or ogre, we are going to be painting really thin lines starting from the top of the paper and going down about halfway. Just to keep in mind, these are the branches. So you can make them really playful. They don't have to be straight. You can throw them. They don't have to be perfect. And also they're also always smaller branches coming out of the bigger ones. So we're also going to be creating dose. I don't have an example for this. I'm just trying to think of how branches look like or don't think too much, That's also possible. And just swipe my brush down in a really kind of wobbly way and then adding some smaller branches from the beer ones that I have. So making them smaller. The further I go down. Also, you can paint them really light. So it's like the basis of what we're going to be painting the leaves on. And when you're done, let it dry before it can go to the next. So for the second step, I'm using a size eight round brush. And I'm using my sap green. And we're going to be painting leaves. So as you see, I'm making two brushstrokes curved in the opposite direction. And then I painted in, and I've got leaves, just like we practiced in the exercise with the brush strokes. Now, I'm using the branches that we painted as a guideline. So I want to paint beliefs close, following the line, but you don't need to do is really perfect. You can paint leaves, also next to other leaves. And you can make them smaller, especially at the bottom of a brunch, because mostly those leaves are younger, so they're smaller. But there is no rocket science. You can do what feels good and also doesn't need to be perfect. Nature is not perfect. When you're done, it's time to let it dry for the next step. So now we're going to add leaves on top of the leaves that we already painted. This means that you can paint lease wherever you want, on places where you see white and also on top of other leaves, make it really playful. I'm using sap green again. Only this time. I'm using it with less water, so it's a little bit darker. This way. We're adding some depth into this painting. And just like before, try to mix a little bit with the size of the leaves. And other than that, just make it really playful and have fun while you're painting. For now, I'm going to speed up the video of it. So now that I've done with painting the leaves, I am dropping in some dark green in the wet leaves and of the red. I'm also dropping in some yellow and also some light blue. Then it's time to let it dry. When the leaves are dry, it's time for our next step. We are going to be adding details to the leaves. Now, for this, I am using a really small brush, like a size one and some dark green. And we're going to be painting lines in the leaves. So this means you can paint a line through half of the leaf, through the middle, and then painting a smaller stripes from the center towards the outside. Which you can also do is paint with a little, with a bigger brush, and then paint like one bigger stroke for covering half the leaf. So this helps create a shade. And also once these half leaves have dried off the ledge, you can also paint stripes on top of that part. So it's like an extra level which creates more character and depth to the leaves. So now I'm back to my smaller brush and on the leaves that are currently dry, I am adding some stripes. There are a lot of leaves. So this part is really taking up a lot of time. Again, I really like painting. It's a very mindful exercise, so I don't mind doing this at all. This is my daily relaxation time. Also, I really love to add details like these to painting because it just gives it some extra field to it. So for now, I'm going to speed up the video a little bit more because otherwise it's going to take forever before I'm done. So whenever you need to pause the video. But basically we are doing the same steps all over again. Also, if you paint with your details on top of a layer that is still wet, it's no problem because still it's going to dry up in a really nice way. When you are done with painting the details on your leaves. You can start with painting some more details on the branches. For this, also use a small brush and some dark brown or burnt umber and retrace the parts of the branches that are not covered with leaves and add some branches in front of a few leaves and also add some small stripes from the branches reaching out to the leaves so that it looks like they are attached to the leaves. When you're done, it's time to let it dry and enjoy the results. So we just finished our third project and we painted a really beautiful art print with leaves and branches. So I'm really curious to your results. So please don't forget to edit to the class project. So now we're going to move on to our fourth and last class project assignment. 17. Project D: Galaxy art print: It is time to paint our last project assignment for this Skillshare class. And for this assignment we're going to paint a galaxy. I really loved to paint galaxies myself, because basically you can't fail. And it's just a very playful and mindful way to get some really cool results. So for this assignment, we're going to paint on a large piece of paper. And we're going to start by making the paper with doing this by using a water bottle and spraying it on top of the paper. You can also use a big brush and some water. Then we're going to start with a big brush and some dark blue. I'm using indigo. And we're going to start on top of the paper and creating a wet wash on the entire piece of paper. Now, it doesn't have to be a flat wash. It's okay if you see stripes or texture. So you don't have to make the smooth brushstrokes. You can make them short and playful. And at some point we're going to be dropping in some other colors. But we're going to paint a galaxy. A galaxy is a very, very dark sky, even black. Lot like, Well, it's not a color I prefer to use with watercolor. So then I rather go for indigo. And we're going to be dropping in some other colors as well to make a really beautiful effect. So I'm going to drop in some light blue now. And I am just dropping it in, creating some smaller brushstrokes and at some places blending it in really loosely, really playful. Now I'm dropping in some purple as well. Now some pink, some darker green, and some lighter green, some orange. Now I'm adding some more indigo, some darker blue, just to make the painting a little bit more darker, just like an actually night sky. So now I'm done with adding paint colors. But I wanted to do something about the texture. So one thing that we're going to do is drop in some water. To create watercolor blooms. I'm using my blue paint water. You can also use a clean order, of course. But to me now doesn't make any difference. Now, another thing we're going to do to create texture is adding some salt. And yes, we're also going to add alcohol for really cool effect. I'm using a small brush and I'm dropping in a few dots, especially on the parts where I've got the most and the darkest paint. Because her painting, a night sky, a galaxy. Just keep in mind that you want to have the effect like 1 billion stars are in the sky. So you'd like to create a lot of tiny dots, but also make them vary in size and location where you put them. Because the galaxy, It's not perfect. I mean, not symmetrical. So you can make it on a chaotic mess of stars and nebulas and everything you will find in the galaxy. Now it's time to let it dry. Once the paint has dried, you can remove the salt. Now we're going to do something really cool to make this an actual galaxy with beautiful stars in the sky. So for this we will be using white gouache and a larger brush. You make really wet. And then you pick up the really wet white quash and your finger, you're going to splash it on top of the paper. For this, you may need to make sure that it's wet enough. And you'll see when you do this, that tiny dots of paint splatter are going to be all over your paper. Also look out. It can also go outside of the paper. So if you have your screen or anything nearby lookout, you're not going to splash it all with the white paint. While you do it is covering the entire paper. Make it really playful. And you already see the really cool effect of the wind, the white paint splatter. Now to finish it off with the same gouache only now with smaller brush. You can paint small white dots wherever you want. For this, you could also use a white marker or a white gel pen. You can also paint small stars if you'd like to. And we're done. We've done it, we've finished our last project assignment for this Skillshare class. I really hope that you had a lot of fun and that the result, It's amazing. I can't wait to see your galaxy, so please share it as a project. 18. Final words: Yes, you have done it. By now. You should have four really beautiful watercolor art prints. You should have an abstract art prints and a really beautiful landscape art prints. Watercolor leaves a really beautiful galaxy, all with your name. So I really hope that you learned a lot from this Skillshare class and that you gained confident in using watercolor as a medium. So at this point, you should be able to move on and create more watercolor art prints. Um, we haven't covered sketching yet, so that will be a whole other lesson. But once you have the sketch, then you should be able to use watercolor to really make a beautiful painting. So I really hope that you enjoyed this class and let you learned from it. And of course, please share your results for the class projects. And I would love to give you feedback and also have other students who followed this class give you feedback as well. So you will learn from that Also. Thank you so much for following this class and I hope to see you in the next one.