Golden Mushrooms: Exploring Fall’s Textures in Watercolors

1. Introduction: Hello, and welcome to my tutorial on painting golden mushrooms. With autumn just around the corner, it's the perfect time to capture the cozy essence of the season, especially on rainy afternoons. Today will create a warm autumn scene, featuring golden mushrooms nestled beneath a beautifully textured tree. The magic of this piece comes to life with glowing highlights, soft moss, scattered leaves, and the enchanting atmosphere of fall. This tutorial, we will explore a rich variety of textures, including the intricate bark of tree, the delicate softness of moss, the vibrant colors of autumn leaves, and the wonderful shapes of mushrooms. Each of these elements will harmoniously blend against a soft, dreamy background, creating an atmosphere that truly captures the magic of the season. Will learn how to achieve a blurry wet on wet background that adds depth and tranquility to your painting. As we progress, we'll delve into layering techniques that enable us to render a natural and lifelike representation of these beautiful treasures from nature. Additionally, we'll discover how to create captivating light effects that enhance the sense of luminosity and warmth in the scene. We'll also examine how to effectively use wide quash to add details with a variety of engaging techniques to explore these tutorial promises to enrich your skills and inspire your creativity. Although this painting might seem challenging at first glance, I promise it's more approachable than it looks. I will guide you through each step breaking the painting into small manageable parts. Layer by layer, you will watch your artwork come alive as we build each section. Aside from your art supplies, all you will need is a coal mind and a bit of patience. Take a moment to relax, gather your materials, and let's dive into this peaceful and creative process together. Let's get started. 2. Project and Resources: I've prepared a selection of helpful resources for your project available in the projects and resources section. You'll find there a PDF file with the supply list I used for this painting, along with a reference photo and an image of my finished artwork for guidance. Line drawings in various sizes are also provided, so you can print and transfer them onto your watercolor paper in the size that best fits your needs. My painting is in a 16 by 12 inch format. Additionally, there are work in progress photos to help you follow the process and focus on specific areas. I've also written an e book in PDF format for you on planning a watercolor painting. I hope you'll find it helpful. Feel free to explore these materials and use them to create your own unique and beautiful painting. I can't wait to see your results. Please share your progress shots and final painting in the projects and resources section. I also encourage you to take the time to view each other's work in the student project gallery. It's always inspiring to see what others create and the support of your fellow students can be incredibly comforting. Don't forget to like and comment on each other's work. Lastly, I highly recommend watching each lesson before you begin painting. This will give you a clear understanding of what to expect at each stage of the tutorial. If you find this class helpful, I would greatly appreciate it if you could leave an honest review. Your feedback will help me improve my content and assist other students in deciding whether to join this class. Thank you in advance. 3. Planning Your Painting: When you look at a painting like this, you might wonder, how on earth am I going to paint that? It seems so complex and you may not even know where to begin. Believe me, even professional watercolor artists take time to plan how they will approach a painting before they even touch a brush. For me, this planning phase can sometimes take a few days. Sometimes few hours, but sometimes I can spend on it even a few weeks, especially when I'm searching for or I'm trying to capture the perfect reference photo. With time and experience, the planning process can get quicker depending on the subject. There are paintings I now know exactly how to break down into manageable sections, but other times it still takes a while to figure everything out. Initially, I wanted to include a detailed guide on how to plan a painting in this tutorial. But as I began writing, I realized this topic deserves its own in depth discussion. Instead, I've created a PDF for you to download or print, if you like. This guide includes a lot of the thought process that goes into planning a painting. Showing you what I consider before I begin painting, and then the steps of the process. You can find it in the class resources, and I hope you'll find it useful. Before we start painting though, let's organize a couple of things so we have a clear understanding of the elements I'll be referring to. We'll be dividing the painting into several sections. If possible, I always recommend this approach so you can focus on one part at a time, rather than trying to tackle the entire painting at once. For this project, I've broken it down into the following sections and we'll be painting them in this order. Background, tree and moss, and this is a fairly large area, but I've decided not to break it into smaller parts because I believe it's better to think of this whole section as one object, the tree with moss growing on it. Then we have the leaves and the mushrooms. Additionally, since I'm not a native English speaker, and I know many of you aren't either, I took the time to check the anatomy of a mushroom so we can all be on the same page. The main elements that I figured out, and I'll be referring to are cups, gills, stems, and scales. Now that we have a clear understanding of these terms, can begin painting. I wish you a pleasant and enjoyable journey through this tutorial, and I hope that you will find something in this project that will inspire your own future paintings. Happy painting. 4. Applying Masking Fluid: Before we start painting, it's always good to plan ahead and identify areas where we want to preserve the white of the paper, or where masking can make things easier for us. In this painting, there are definitely a few spots worth masking. I'll be using Windsor and Newton masking fluid to protect those areas. If we have tools that can make our lives easier, why not use them? In addition to the masking fluid, I will be using an old bottle cup, a piece of soap, water and a brush that I keep specifically for masking fluid. If you've never used masking fluid before, it's important to know that you should never use your good brushes for it as they will inevitably get damaged. It's best to buy a cheap brush dedicated just for this tusk. I also recommend pouring some masking fluid into a smaller container. I use the cup from an old bottle of masking fluid, Quickly sealing the main barrel to limit its exposure to air. When masking fluid is exposed to oxygen, it can start to form clumps, so minimizing this exposure will keep it usable for longer. To protect your brush, first, dip it in water, then rub it on a bar of soap. The soap will create a protective coat, protective layer on the bristles, that helps preserve the brushes condition for much longer. Once that's done, dip your brush into the masking fluid and start applying it. There are two main areas I want to mask. First, the edges of the mushrooms. I don't want to worry about accidentally painting over the mushrooms when I'm working on the darker areas around them. Masking will help protect these areas. I will apply the masking fluid around the edges of the mushroom, cups, and stems. Be generous with the masking fluid. Don't make the layer too thin as it won't provide enough protection. A thicker layer of masking fluid will create a solid barrier against the paint. Can apply it over the entire mushroom cups if you prefer or generally entire mushrooms as they aren't very large, but I usually focus on the edges. The width of the masking fluid is about half an inch or slightly less. Applying the masking fluid, try to be precise and take your time. You're not in a rush, so calm your mind and apply the masking with a steady hand. The edges of the masking are important because they will define the shape of your subject. For example, if you want a smooth line on the mushroom cup, you will need to apply the masking fluid carefully to achieve that. Jagged masking will result in jagged edges on your subject. Here are some examples of older brushes where I didn't use soap. Without soap, the masking fluid dries on the bristles, sticking them together. It happens after the first use. Once it dries in the bristles, it's nearly impossible to remove. While you can try using vaseline or some specifics like to clean them, it's honestly not worth the effort. Just use cheap brushes and soap to protect your tools from the start. I still have these brushes because even with them, we can apply masking fluid, but maybe in a more spontaneous textured way. Another area I want to protect is the edges of the leaves at the bottom of the painting. Masking them will make it easier to paint the dark areas above. Apply the masking close to the edge, but for creating the leaf tips, I use an embossing tool. Since this brush doesn't have a sharp point, I switch to the embossing tool to pull the masking fluid right to the tips of the leaves. If you don't have an embossing tool, no worries, you can use anything with a sharp point. Maybe your brush is better than mine, but you can also use a toothpick, deep pen, barbecue stick, needle, or anything else that you think will work. In the class resources, you will find an illustration that shows exactly where I applied the masking fluid. You can use it as a guide to see which areas I've masked. Once you're done applying the masking, let it dry completely. Once it's dry, we will move on to painting the background. Okay. 5. Painting the Background: We're going to start by painting the background using the wet on wet technique. First, let's prepare some colors. We'll definitely need a warm yellow. On my palette, I currently have Indian yellow, but any warm yellow like Hansa yellow deep, winds are yellow deep, or new gamboge will work just as well. Yellow will be our main color and we will use it frequently throughout the painting. Next time, adding burnt sienna, as these two color will help create this warm mood we are aiming for. Yellows and browns will be the primary tones for this piece. I'm also mixing green gold with a touch of ultramarine blue to create a natural green that will complement the overall color composition. Plan to use a bit more green in the background. I mean more than there is in the reference photo, not only because it's my favorite color, but also to create a connection between the main subject and the background. In the main subject, we have moss, which is also green. On the right mixing space of my palette, I will have a combination of ultramarine blue, paints gray, and burnt sienna. This neutral bluish mix will be the other dominant color for the background alongside the green. Lastly, I will keep color that I would say is like silver. It's a mix of ultramarine blue and a touch of burnt sienna. These are the colors we'll be using for the background. Now, let's start by applying a clean wash of water over the background. I'll be using a size 12 brush for this. Begin by applying a layer of water, starting from the top of the painting and working your way down along the tree. Don't worry if you go slightly over the pencil line, since the tree and moss will be darker than the background, any overlap won't be an issue. At the bottom, apply the water right up to the edges of the leaves. Although we could have masked out these leaves, their shape isn't too complex, so we can carefully paint around them. Take your time with this step. Apply the water carefully, making sure that there are no dry spots or gaps. By the time you reach the bottom, the upper end middle sections may start to dry, but don't worry. Simply add a second layer of water over those areas. Applying two layers of water will keep the paper wet longer, giving us more time to work on the background. Now begin applying your paint, starting with the yellows and browns. We're now starting to build up the colors and values in the background. Since the background isn't very dark, we will be painting it in a single layer. However, there's no need to rush. Use small amounts of paint on your brush and apply light tonal values to the paper. Notice that I'm intentionally leaving lighter areas on the left side near the moss and at the bottom. Start with light tones first. Avoid applying very dark tones right away. By gradually building up the color, you maintain more control over how the paint behaves on the paper. While we could simplify the background and apply just one big smooth wash. Want to suggest that something is happening back there. Maybe distant trees or even a bit of smoke. We don't need to replicate every single patch of color, but we do want to create some variety in tones and colors. We're using the wet on wet technique because it allows the paint to spread and form those soft blurry shapes. This type of effect helps convey distance, making objects in the background feel far away due to the blur. My paint consistency is quite watery. It's not too thick. Every time I add more paint, I'm also adding more moisture to the paper, keeping it wet and workable for longer. I have a bit of control over how much the paint spreads. If it's spreading too much, that's a sign that there is a lot of water on the paper. If I want to limit the spread, I can either remove some moisture with a clean dam brush, or I can switch to a slightly thicker paint consistency. Remember, your reference photo is just a guide. It gives you an idea of col distribution, but you don't have to follow it exactly. M. One tip about yellow. It has a tendency to push away other colors. If you apply it over blue or green, it will gently push those colors aside and create soft glowing yellow spots. Finally, keep in mind that water color always dries lighter than it looks when it's wet. At this stage, you will want to apply colors that are slightly than the final effect you're aiming for. Now that the paint is still wet, I'm switching to a smaller brush size eight. I dip the brush in water, dub it on a towel, and use the clean damp brush to lift out some of the paint to create a smoke like effect. To do this gently brush from the lighter area into the painted area in an S shape. After each stroke rinse and blot your brush and then repeat the process several times. You may need to do this in the same spot multiple times as the paint will tend to flow back into the lifted area. Be patient and keep lifting the paint to achieve that soft smoke effect. Of course, if you want to create this effect in that area because you may decide that you don't like it and you don't want to create it, then that's totally fine. It's your painting. If you do this, always try to pull from the light area towards the dark area. As doing the reverse would drag the dark paint into the lighter area, which we want to avoid. I also want to add some random texture by splattering water drops onto the surface. To do this deep your brush in water, then tap it against a second brush or simply use your finger to fleek water droplets onto the paper. At this stage, the paint on the paper is still a bit too wet. Some of those lighter spots may disappear as the paint continues to spread. The key is to find the right moment to add those effects. When the paint is starting to dry, but it's still visibly wet. In addition to water, you can also spatter color like green or yellow to add variety. Or if you prefer, you can skip this step altogether. Next, I return to the bottom part of the painting to continue lifting out paint for the smoke effect. In the sped up version of the video, you will notice how the paint keeps flowing back in after each lift. We need to patiently repeat this process until the paint finally settles down. I'm also adding more water droplets as the paint dries further. Once you're satisfied, clean up the excess paint around the tape and leave the painting to dry completely before moving on. One final note, we've been using ultramarine blue, which is a granulating color. We'll also be using it for painting the tree. Lately, I've come to really appreciate the textures and granulation that water color offers. I think granulating colors will work wonderfully in this piece. Feel free to use your favorite granulating colors if you like. In the next section, we'll begin painting the tree. Oh. 6. Tree and Moss - First Layer: In this section, we'll begin painting the tree. When I say tree, I'm not just referring to the trunk on the left, but also the areas between and below the mushrooms, as well as the moss. We'll treat this entire area as one unified tree element. The tree is the darkest part of the painting, and it covers a fairly large area. To achieve these deep tonal values and build the rich textures we want, we all need to paint in several layers. It's simply impossible to capture all the depth and texture in just one layer. Painting in layers allows us to maintain the beautiful transparency of water colors, control the colors and shapes more effectively achieve a balance between soft and sharp edges. Adjust the tonal values and colors with each layer. Build up textures gradually and create the desired depth of color. But where do we start? The first step is to identify the main colors we'll be using and prepare them. We will need a lot of brown tones, so I begin by mixing burnt sienna. I already have some Indian yellow on my palette, so this mix will naturally contain a bit of yellow, which will add warmth to the brown. The left side of the tree is more in shadow. We can see darker bluish tones with hints of green. To capture that, I will mix ultramarine blue with a touch of green gold. For the darkest areas, we will need a very deep brown, almost black. We can call it black. We can create this by mixing ultramarine blue, paints gray, and burnt sienna. Although ultramarine blue isn't strictly necessary for this mix, I'm using it because it's a granulating color, which will enhance the texture of the bark. Plus, since we used it in the background, incorporating it here helps maintain color harmony throughout the painting. Finally, we will need some green for the moss. I can see hints of green not only on the right hand side of the tree, but also in the shadow in the upper left corner. It's very dark, but it's definitely green. Let's mix green gold with ultramarine blue for this. That we have our basic colors mixed, we can begin applying them. Grab a large brush, a size 12 works well, but if you have a bigger one, you can even take a bigger one. With the main colors identified, we can start building the tones in our subject. At this stage, we're applying an initial layer, which acts like a roadmap. The goal here is to lay down all the colors more or less in their designated areas. Remember, this is just the first layer, so avoid using dark tones for now. Instead, focus on applying the lightest versions of each color. For example, in the upper left corner, there is a very dark green visible, but it's not time for that yet. I mean for that very deep dark green color. Will apply a lighter version of green in that area. The tree has sections that catch the light. I will add more yellow in those spots. For the darker brown areas, I will use a light tone of brown and in the shadowy sections where I see blues and blacks, I will apply lighter mixes of those colors. Think of this as laying a foundation upon which we will build the textures, colors, and values. I'm using a wet on dry technique, not wet on wet for this initial layer. There are a few reasons for that. One of them is that since this is just the first layer, any mistakes I make can be covered up with subsequent layers. This area is also very textured. Even if I create hard edges or blooms or any other imperfections, that is perfectly fine. We don't need a flawlessly rendered layer at this point. We just want to apply lighter versions of the colors. Finally, using wet on dry technique requires less water, which means that this layer will dry pretty quickly. By using a large brush, I can cover this area quickly with color. Notice that the consistency of my paint is watery. It's not dense. Keeping it watery allows the colors on the paper to blend beautifully with one another. Between the mushrooms, we burn Siena. That area at the bottom between the mushrooms and the leaves, feel free to play around with your colors. This section will be really dark providing you with a great opportunity to experiment and practice your water to paint ratio. Use yellows, greens, blues, and browns. This is your chance to refine your paint consistency and color mixing on the paper. If you're wondering about the ideal paint consistency, think of it as quite watery, similar to a milky texture, but definitely on the watery side. The best way to check if your paint consistency matches mine is to compare the tonal values on your paper with what you see on mine paper. If yours appears darker, then your paint is too thick. If it's lighter, you're using too much water, so add more paint. On the right side, shift your color to a nice mix of green gold and ultramarine blue. However, avoid making this area too uniform. There are brown leaves nearby, so add some brown tones here as well to reflect the colors of the surrounding objects. Notice the strong highlight in this area. To preserve it, it's best to paint around it. Aim to create an irregular jagged edge near the highlight for a more natural. Oh. Once you've finished applying your colors, leave everything to dry completely. You'll notice that once dried, the colors appear much paler. Water colors often look vibrant and rich when wet, but they can dry lighter. To achieve those rich vibrant colors, one effective method is to apply multiple layers. We've just completed our first layer, so let it dry completely, and then we will move on to the second layer. 7. Tree and Moss - Second Layer: Now that the first layer is completely dry, we can move on to applying the second layer. Before we begin, I want to highlight two important points. First, I repeat it in almost every tutorial, but I have to repeat it again. The tonal values are far more important than colors. I know you already know this, and you have enough of me repeating this, but I want you to keep this in mind. Any stage of your painting, you can take a photo and convert it to gray scale. This allows you to compare it with a gray scale image of your reference photo. By eliminating color, you can focus only on tonal values. Here it's clear that most of this area is still too light compared to our goal. We will need to darken these areas significantly. However, some sections like the sunlit areas are nearly perfect, and we should avoid those highlights for now. I will have to keep that in mind. I will try not to go over those areas because I don't want to make them darker. We also need to be more mindful of the tree form and the textures we want to build. Also one more thing to consider. If your pencil lines are still visible, you may want to darken them at this stage. When we apply the paint now in the second layer, those lines will become much less visible because the paint will cover them. If you like, you can make them darker now before you start applying the paint. Now, let's prepare more paint using the same mixes as before. Our goal is to darken some of the colors to bring the tonal values closer to our reference photo. With the second layer, we will have a build up of two layers that will give us much darker tones. Feel free to use slightly darker tones than before, especially in the darkest areas, as they will appear very dark anyway. Just remember to keep the paint consistency watery. In my green mix of green gold and ultramarine blue, I've also added burnt sienna to create a richer olive or moss green tone. Now, keeping in mind the yellow areas where the tonal value is lighter, we will need to paint around them as we apply color. Start with the green in the upper left corner and then shift to other colors based on the area you are painting. This is where we should consider the structure of the tree. Notice the which is quite dark and gradually lightens the right side. Aim to reflect that in your painting, darken the left side while lightening the right side. You can apply the paint, rinse your brush, blot it, and gently pull the color towards the right. Then while the paint on the paper is still wet, pick up more dark paint and drop it into the crevice to darken it. With this light yellowish brown, I'm trying to define the boundary between the highlighted area and the shadow. Once I establish this line, it will make painting the rest much easier. Remember to keep the left side situated in the shadow, more of a bluish green while using warmer browns and yellows on the right. We can soften some edges while keeping others sharp. Striking a balance between soft and sharp edges is crucial in watercolor. Yes, I know everything is crucial. But this balance adds interest and makes the painting dynamic guiding the viewers attention. I believe we've tackled the most challenging part, painting around the highlighted area. Now we just need to fill in the rest of the tree up to the moss on the right with darker tones. Essentially, we are repeating what we did in the previous layer, but using darker tones to enhance the depth of color. Also remember that layering the same color can make it more vibrant. Many of you have asked how my paintings achieve such vivid colors, and the answer lies in layering. A single layer typically results in a paler hue, even if you apply a very thick paint consistency. But applying several thin layers, even just two layers are enough will significantly enrich the saturation. When you reach the moss area, shift your technique a little bit. You can continue using the same brush or switch to a smaller brush if you prefer. But now instead of simply covering the entire area with green, focus on building texture. Use short random brush strokes applied in an organic manner to create the look of mos. Incorporate various shades and tones of green to reflect the structure you can see there. Notice little hells that are lighter at the top and darker at the bottom. Try to recreate that defect with your brush and the colors you're using. Take your time with this. There's no need to rush. Nobody's chasing you. I hope you have already printed out the sentence and you have it in front of you. The colors from the first layer will pick through the gaps created by your short brush strokes, adding depth to your work. Finally, pick up a really dark mix and drop that dark tone at the bottom of each of those little hills. This will create a lovely three dimensional effect, and with this, we can finish this part. Here is how the painting looks once the second layer has dried. If we compare the black and white version with the previous stage and the reference photo, we can see significant progress. Some dark areas are already quite rich and similar to the reference photo, but we can still darken the tree in several spots. One more layer shod suffice to the right tones. Also take a closer look at my pencil lines. As you can see, the second layer has made them barely visible. That's why I mentioned in the beginning that you might want to darken them. I can still see them a little bit, but enough to add details of the bark, which we will tackle in the next layer. 8. Tree and Moss - Adding Details: This part of the tutorial will likely be the longest and most challenging, so get ready to dive in. It took me about 40 minutes to finish. So ensure that you have the time to paint calmly over the next hour or so. In this section, we will complete the tree by adding details, darkening areas that needed and introducing textures. Challenge here lies in the patients focus and simultaneous handling of various techniques and areas. The good news is that we will be painting in a way that allows you to take breaks whenever you need to without disrupting the process. I opted not to break this section into shorter parts as it would be difficult to divide it logically. I highly recommend watching this entire segment first before picking up your brush. This will help you grasp what we are going to do and why better preparing you for this task ahead. Start by mixing burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, and Pines gray. We can consider this mix our black, and we will need a good amount of it. Below this dark pudal, keep some burnt sienna handy as it's the main brown we'll be using. Begin with a smaller brush, I will start with a size eight, but I will switch to a size six shortly as the eight turned out to be slightly too large. Load your brush with the dark paint and start applying it from the upper left corner. Our goal is to darken the deepest shadows on the left side, and more importantly, to paint all the black cracks and crevices in the bark. We can visually divide this entire area into two main sections. The left side, which is in the shadow features more bluish tones, and the bark appears old with clearly defined sections. In contrast, the right side is warmer and is more brown with different textures and colors. Now let's focus on the left side. Remember, you don't need to recreate the reference photo exactly as no one will be comparing your painting to the reference photo. Each tree is unique, its nature. There are no two, the same trees, so don't feel pressured to get every line just right. Can barely see my pencil lines now and I'm primarily looking at the reference photo to identify where those crevices should be. But I don't stress if I place them differently. In fact, I'll be improvising a bit as well. After all, it's my painting. I could even add a little squirrel picking through if I wanted to. Here I switched to a size six brush to create more precise and thinner lines. Notice that as we apply this dark color, the previous layer appears quite light. Don't you think? Even after applying two layers, the colors still seem pale in comparison to this dark tone. But that's perfectly fine. Not only will we darken everything in this layer, but we also need those lighter tones to show through the third layer. As you create the pattern of cracks, use the same dark color on the left side. You can switch back to a larger brush for this. Cracks may dry paler, so we might need to go over them again and perhaps even more to ensure that they remain dark enough once dried. Now, using the larger brush, apply some greens and browns at the top. Don't worry about achieving perfectly smooth washes. I would even say we don't want smooth washes here. Focus instead on the in of light and the dark tones and the overall color distribution. We're creating textures, so perfectly smooth washes aren't a priority in this case. I've switched back to a smaller brush to adjust the crevices for the third time. I'm adding another layer of that dark color and making some random marks here and there. The left side has lost its high sheen. It's still wet, but it's less watery now. I'm spattering some water droplets to introduce variety into this quite uniform area. This is where I start to create textures. Feel free to take a break now, if you would like. Take a deep breath, and return with fresh eyes. Now let's move on to the upper part of the tree. I another dark mix of burned Siena, ultramarine blue, and paints gray. Here I'm applying this dark color which transitions to burn Siena on the right, while also trying to depict the texture of the bark with slightly elongated brush strokes. I'm spattering water droplets here to create additional texture. We don't want perfectly smooth washes anywhere. On one hand, this part is easier to paint because we don't need to strive for perfection. But on the other hand, there's quite a bit to accomplish here. Using the black paint and later in Mb Ciena, begin building the texture and tones of the bark in this area. On the left and gradually lightens and worms toward the right side. A elongated brush strokes that collectively create a nice bark like effect. Oh. While other areas are drying slightly, so I'm spattering even more water droplets. When I compare this area to the reference photo, I can see that it's still too pale. I'll repeat the process by applying another layer of black and brown. Notice that the colors visible in the gaps between each brush stroke are crucial for building the barks texture as those lighter areas represent where the sun hits the bark. On the moss, I'm applying many irregular green dots to create texture. This technique of placing lots of random dots next to each other is called. Let's repeat a similar process here. Identify the darkest areas, start with black paint, and then transition to brown, applying plenty of elongated brush strokes to develop the bark texture. We have a nice, large, dark section where we can apply a deeper tone. Using a darker brown, darken the whole area above the highlighted section. On the yellowish highlight, add more bark texture, but be careful not to lose those lighter tones. Spatter lots of water droplets across the brown area to ensure it doesn't appear too uniform or flat. With black paint, focus on painting the most prominent dark cracks in the bark. Concentrate on the ones that catch your attention or feel free to create your own without looking at the. Remember, the reference can be quite complex, and we can simplify certain aspects. Now we will try a different technique to add texture. Dry brushing. I've switched to a size eight brush. I will not deep the brush in water. It should be just slightly damp. I'm holding the brush almost parallel to the palette, trying to pick up the paint with the side of the bristles. Holding the brush at an angle, gently rub the side of the bristles on the paper to create a textured effect. Because the brush is almost dry and the surface of the paper is textured, we can produce those irregular marks that work beautifully for the bark texture. Notice that I'm rubbing the brush from left to right, not randomly. But in a way that follows the shape of each bruh section to create those horizontal marks. It's important that the brush isn't wet. It should be almost dry, hence the name, dry brushing. If the brush or the paint is too wet, we will end up with regular brush strokes instead of the desired texture. We can add this texture wherever we like, and I think it will look particularly nice on those light bluish big sections. This technique creates a very natural appearance. Unlike bh marks, we intentionally apply for specific shapes. This whole area might look like a big me right now, but once we paint the mushrooms and other details, it will all come together nicely. Before moving on, I want to add a bit more black here and there to ensure these crevices remain dark enough. The most challenging part is over. Now we can take a deep breath, and if you'd like, take a break. With fresh energy, we can continue painting. The rest of this painting will be much easier. Here, all we need to do is apply another layer of paint to darken ey. This time in addition to applying the paint, we'll also spatter some water droplets to create texture. In the most area on the right, I would like to darken the green as I feel it's too pale and should be deeper. This layer also smooth out the previous layer a little bit. Now, take one last good look at your tree and consider if there is anything that bothers you or that you would like to enhance. For example, I think some darker areas still are not d. I'm applying another dark layer of paint. Since this lighter area is illuminated by sunlight, I will use very diluted Indian yellow and apply over the section to suggest a warm light. This color will be echoed later in the mushrooms and is also present in the background. Finally, I would like to spatter some color over the tree. We can spatter water droplets, but we can also load a brush with paint and spatter it to create random spots. If you choose to do this, I recommend covering the background with a piece of paper or a paper towel to catch any stray paint drops. With that, we can finish this messy part. That was quite intense, now let's celebrate our success. We will return to the tree and moss for a moment in the final part of the tutorial. But for now, let's relax and enjoy what we've accomplished. When you are ready, we will move on to the next part and start painting the leaves. 9. Leaves - First Layer: Now that our tree is completely dry, I hope you took a moment to relax and recharge. With fresh energy, we can continue our painting journey by starting on the leaves. Let's begin by removing the masking fluid from the leaves. I prefer using a rubber masking pickup tool, but you can also use your fingers if you prefer. As we remove the masking fluid, we will uncover the beautiful shapes we've created. Gently run your finger across the paper surface to ensure that all the masking fluid is gone. Now we're ready to paint. Let's prepare our colors. I'll be taking the green paint off my palette as I don't think I will need it right now. In its space, I will mix some shades of yellowish brown. This will be a combination of Indian yellow, burned Ciena, and ultramarine blue. I will also add a touch of windsor red to shift the mix towards a redis sue. Generally, when we combine yellow, brown, and blue, we can create various shades of brown depending on the proportions. That's why I will keep burnt sienna on the palette. It allows us to easily create other shades. Adding red opens up an even wider range of brown tones with a reddish undertone. Leaning towards maroon shades. Keep in mind that adding blue tends to mute the browns, making them less saturated. Now, using a size ten brush, let's start applying our colors. The goal at this stage is to cover all the leaves with their base colors. We'll be using the wet on dry technique and a watery paint consistency. While we will be looking at each leaf individually to identify their unique colors, think of this whole area of all those leaves as one large area. The colors from one leaf flow into another, that's perfectly fine. At this stage, there is no need to worry about. At this point, we're not focusing on the details of each leaf. Instead, we are laying down a foundation of colors, a roadmap for what's to come. If a leaf appears more yellowish brown, use a greater mix of Indian yellow and burn Siena. If it's more reddish, adjust your mix to include more windsor red. Don't stress about achieving the perfect colors. We'll be using the same palette throughout the entire painting. As long as we maintain color harmony, feel free to experiment with the shades of your leaves. You might even choose to incorporate some greenish brown or more red leaves, if you like. After all, it's your version and your painting. I've added more ultramarine blue to the mix to neutralize the brown further as adding blue tends to make the brown saturated and n. Now, let's focus on this leave with a highlight. Try to paint around that highlight. For these final two leaves, we need to consider the increased light. Use a lighter tone of brown and paint around the highlighted areas, leaving some white spots to indicate strong highlights. For the lightest leaf, the one in front, I've added a touch of Windsor yellow to my light Indian yellow mix. Windsor yellow is a cooler yellow, and I believe that a very pale version of the two will work beautifully here. When we mix a worm and a cool shade of a color, we achieve a neutral tone, or some may call it a primary tone. Combining Windsor yellow with worm Indian yellow. Gives us a yellow called also a true yellow or primary yellow. The same principle applies to other colors. For example, if we mix cool magenta with warm winds are red, we will get a neutral red or primary red or true red. Well done, congratulations. We've applied the initial layer to all the leaves. It wasn't too difficult, was it? Now we have a solid base to build upon. In the next part, we will focus on enhancing each individual. O. 10. Leaves - Textures: In this part, we're going to have some fun with colors and textures. Make sure you set aside about an hour to complete the section without feeling rushed. While this part isn't particularly difficult, it will take some time. I'll be using a size ten brush. Let's begin with Burnt Sienna. As you can see, my colors on the palette aren't perfectly clean, and that's perfectly fine in this case for this painting. We want to capture the natural look of various shades of fall. Start with the leaf on the left side and apply the brown to the darker bottom half of the leaf. Then pick up a darker shade by mixing burnt sienna, paints gray, and ultramarine blue, and drop in the darker color to introduce some variety. At this stage, we will focus on each individual leaf, aiming to create clear distinctions by adding more colors and adjusting tonal values. This means we will concentrate on one leaf at a time. Once you finish painting one area, move on to another area that isn't touching the one you just completed. In the previous layer, it was acceptable for colors to flow from one leaf to another, as we were building the base. However, now we need to maintain clear distinctions between each shape. Let's avoid any paint flowing between leaves. I applied the darker brown only to the bottom half of the sleaf because the upper half is slightly lighter, which I will paint separately. At this stage, focus more on tonal values rather than specific colors. Remember that at every stage you can take a photo of your painting, change it to black and white, and compare it with the black and white version of the reference photo. While we will refer to the reference photo for color inspiration, our main attention should be on establishing the correct tonnel values. Similar to when we painted the tree, we may need to go over some areas two or more times. For instance, this reddish leaf may seem to have the right tonnel value now, but later on, I might find it too light and I will need to apply another layer. Next, I'll switch to a smaller brush size four. With this smaller brush, I will spatter some water drops on my leaves and add the darker dots here and there. You can spatter the darker paint or simply touch the surface with the tip of your brush. Spattering creates a more random effect, but sometimes we want to place spots in specific locations. Final effect of spattering is always unpredictable. Even though we have a plan, the end result will still surprise us. That's one of the wonderful unpredictable qualities of watercolors. Now let's continue working on each shape individually. Add more colors and darken the tones. Remember you can always revisit the same area later to add more depth and darker details. For example, in this area, I know I can't achieve the desired effect in just one layer. First, I will darken this area overall, and once it dries, I will come back to add finer details. We're building each leaf with multiple layers. Always ask yourself whether you're painting a leaf or any other object. Can I accomplish this in one layer, or should I break the process into several? In most cases, you will need at least two layers and often more to achieve the correct values and color vibrancy and also to add details. If you decide multiple layers are necessary, think about the order of those layers and what each will accomplish? For example, if I know that leaves have veins details with hard edges, I will plan to add them at the last layer Why? Because starting with the veins would blur their edges in subsequent layers, which is not the effect I want. Additionally, those layers could cover the veins, making them less visible. That's why I have to paint the veins in the end. That's why we're gradually building up the colors and tonal values, starting with larger shapes and applying the basic colors. From there, we will enhance the tonal values and slowly introduce textures. And finally, we will add the last details like the veins, ensuring they remain visible and unaffected by later layers. I also want to touch upon a concept of painting what you see. It's not essential to understand exactly what each shape in the photo represents, whether it's a part of a leaf or a tree or anything else. What matters is that it looks good in the photo. Instead of fixating on what it is, just paint it. If you tell yourself that painting leaves is difficult, then believe me, they will indeed become difficult for you. Don't dwell on the fact that you're painting a leaf. Yes, you know it's a leaf, but try not to think of it that way. I know this may sound unconventional. It doesn't make sense, but treat each shape simply as a shape that needs to be filled with color and texture. There is no distinction between a leaf, a petal, a mushroom, a piece of bark, They are all just shapes waiting to be colored. If you keep repeating, I can't paint leaves. They are too challenging. You will find yourself stuck. If you can paint a flower petal, you can paint a leaf, you can paint bark, you can paint mountains. You can paint trees, everything. They are all just shapes, and your task is to find the techniques that make painting each shape easier. It's not about the difficulty of the subject, it's about mastering the various techniques that will enable you to paint all these subjects. Instead of thinking that you are afraid of painting leaves because they are so difficult, just think of it as a shape that has nice colors, beautiful textures. Maybe there are some highlights, maybe there are some shadows, like in any other shape and just paint it. I hope that makes sense. I hope that while I was speaking, you were also focused on what I was doing with our painting. As you've seen, I've been adding more and more colors to each leaf. After applying the paint, I also spattered some water drops on most of the leaves. In this case, I added darker spots using our dark. It's a good idea to protect other parts of the painting, especially the background and the mushrooms so that the spatters don't land there as well. At this stage, the leaves are looking quite nice with rich colors and beautiful textures. We can use a hair dryer to dry them before adding details. After drying with a hair dryer, resist the urge to start painting right away as the paper will still be hot. Wait until it cools back to room temperature. In the meantime, I've taken a regular eraser to remove the pencil lines from the leaves on the right where the light is strongest. I find the pencil lines here are too prominent. Easing pencil lines can be challenging, if not impossible, once water or paint has been applied as they often become permanent. However, here I just used a bit more pressure to dig beneath the water and paint layer to remove those lines. Now that the paper has a room temperature, I've noticed that the tonnel value difference between the light leaf in front and the leaves in the back is not so big. They have fairly similar tonal values, which makes it hard to distinguish between them. To fix that, I will apply more reddish brown to the leaf in the back. Notice how this additional layer that leaf further into the background, allowing the leaf in front to stand out. While this layer covers the previous texture, that's all right. I can always spatter more water drops and paint on top of this layer as well. Remember, water colors are transparent, so some of the texture will still be visible. For the leaf on the left, I don't want to cover the entire surface of that leaf with a darker tone. Instead, I will apply a darker brown close to the lighter leaf in front. This will create enough tunnel contrast between the two. After applying the paint, I will blend it away with a clean dumb brush. Notice how slow painting, building shapes with multiple transparent layers makes the objects more interesting. They aren't flat, they have substance, instead of being painted with just one flat wash, achieve a beautiful build of many transparent layers. Now, here is a dark area between the leaves. I will start by applying a reddish brown mix of burned Ciena and windsor red as my base. While this is still wet, I will drop in our black mix of Burnt Sienna ultramarine blue and paints gray. While I'm in this area, I will also darken the leaf at the bottom. With this, I think we can finish this part. We've added more colors, darkened the tones, made clear distinctions between the leaves and created lovely textures. In the next part, we will complete the leaves by adding the veins. K. 11. Leaves - Veins: O In this part, we will add the veins to our leaves. While our main focus will be on the veins, we can also make any necessary adjustments to areas that still need refining. I'll prepare more of our dark mix, combining burn Siena, ultramarine blue, and paints gray. However, I will also need some pure burn Siena as not all veins are dark or black. For painting the veins, use a small brush with a sharp tip. I'm using a size for brush. Start by picking up a lighter tone and then begin painting the veins using the wet on dry technique. Begin with the main vein in the center, and then add the secondary veins that branch out from it. One important point to highlight is the necessity of using a very fine point brush. The veins should be thin. A common mistake is using a brush that is too large or lacks a sharp point, resulting in thick unnatural looking veins. The main vein should be slightly wider near the stem of the leaf and taper towards the tip. The secondary veins should be even thinner. I'm barely touching the tip of my brush to the paper as I want to paint with just the very tip of the bristles. You'll also notice that the veins aren't perfectly straight and that there are gaps in the lines. This imperfection enhances their natural appearance. Avoid painting them as one straight, thick line. Instead, be gentle and precise, ensuring your lines are very thin. In fact, my brush is a bit worn out. The tip has become slightly curved. I'm holding it at a slight angle, allowing only the very tip of the curled bristles to touch the paper. If you have a very small spotter brush like a triple zero, that can work very well too. Notice that I'm not rushing through this process. There is no need to hurry. It's a relaxing activity, and I want to paint without feeling pressured. So, I am not following the reference photo very strictly. While I may not see every vein clearly in the photo, I can always use my creativity to add some that I think will enhance the leaves appearance. Another important note is to change the colors as you go. For the lighter leaves, I'm using more yellowish brown tones. While for the darker leaves, I'm leaning to my darker browns. Here is an abstract shape. There are leaves, but the forms aren't clearly defined, and that's perfectly fine. I'm simply recreating what I see, and I trust it will look good in the end. I want to add more dark tones and reds in this area. This particular leaf is quite interesting. There are no distinct veins here, but this leaf is very textured. I've applied here. I don't know maybe four layers or even more. Each time I add brush strokes that follow the curvature of that, contributing to its wrinkled appearance. For the leaf in the bottom right corner, in addition to the dark veins, I'm applying another layer of paint in the darkest areas because I believe it should be even. I'm using a mix of windsor red and Indian yellow, which generally is orange, but combined with the darker colors produces a n deep brown. A few additional lines and brush marks with Burn Ciena, and this one is finished. Now let's move on to the last two leaves. Here I want to paint the veins, but I also need to darken the leaf in front to create a clear distinction between the shapes. As I look at all the leaves together, I'm considering areas that may need adjustments. For example, I think I could add a bit of shadow near the veins on this. The slightly darker tone so enhance the natural three D appearance. I also feel that this leaf is a bit too smooth and lacks texture compared to the other leaves, so I'm spattering some brown spots of paint to add more interest. Finally, I want to adjust the leaves on the right. I'm applying a very pale windsor yellow to some of the highlighted areas. I'm also darkening the shadowed areas even more. With that, the leaves are finished. Now we can remove the masking fluid from the mushrooms and in the next part, we'll apply the initial layer to them. 12. Mushrooms - First Layer: In this part, we will begin painting the mushrooms. Just like with the leaves, we will start by applying an initial layer to all the mushrooms to establish a solid base. First, let's prepare our colors. I'm cleaning the left side of my palette to ensure I have cleaner colors for this stage. Start by mixing burnt sienna with windsor red to create a reddish brown maroon color, which we will use for the upper part of the mushroom cups. Then add Indian yellow for the middle part and prepare winds are yellow for the bottom. In a separate mixing area, prepare a brown mix of burnt sienna, paints gray, and a little bit of Indian yellow for warmth. Now, using a light tone of our maroon brown, begin applying the coolor to the cup of the first mushroom, transitioning into yellow as you go. The goal at this stage is to apply a light version of the main colors to all the mushrooms. Wherever I see the maroon color, I will use a light shade of the mix of red and brown. For areas that are more yellowish brown, I will apply more Indian yellow and burn Siena. As you paint, pay close attention to the highlights. If there is a strong highlight, be sure to paint around that area. While we could mask these highlights, painting around them, I think, will look much more natural. We're applying the base layer to all the mushrooms, so don't worry if the colors flow from one mushroom to another. That's perfectly fine at this stage. It's similar to when we painted the leaves. The first layer was applied to all leaves, allowing the colors to blend on the paper. In the second layer, we created clear distinctions between them. We're doing exactly the same here. Laying down the base layer while leaving the high lights white. You might notice that the maroon brown color appears quite dark right now. This is because I know it will dry paler. If I applied a very light value now, I would have to add more layers later to achieve the desired darkness for the cups. So I'm starting with a middle value, which will require fewer additional layers to reach deep. The gills and stems are generally leaning to beige. For this, I will add a bit more of ultramarine blue along with the brown, which as you know, neutralizes the brown and makes it less saturated. M. Here's how our mushrooms look now. It's important to preserve those white areas as they will create a lovely, magical light effect. Now eye and once it, we will move on to painting the gills. Oh. 13. Mushrooms - Gills: Oh. I Now that the first layer is completely dry, we can move on to painting the gills. I will be using a size for brush for this part. We'll use the same colors we've been working with so far. Start with a light tone of our dark mix. Painting the gills is quite simple. All we need to do is create lots of lines in the correct direction. Essentially, these lines meet in the middle where the stem is located. Begin with a light tone and as you progress, feel free to switch to more brown yellow or red tones. Once you're satisfied with the placement of your lines, you can drop in a darker tone where necessary. I'm also adding more colors to two first stems, but we'll focus on stems in a later segment, in another video, so don't worry about them just now. On the right side of the gills, I'm generally using more yellowish tones because they catch more sunlight and appear warmer, especially for the mushrooms on the right side. Be careful not to paint over the white areas. We want those to remain white to convey at light effect. One thing to notice that in some areas, I'm painting a Y shape instead of just parallel lines. This is because in the reference, not all the gills are perfectly parallel. So overlap, using a y shape helps create that effect. This is a straightforward process. Continue painting those lines until you're totally tired. And when you finish, we'll move on to the next part where we will work a bit more on the cups. 14. Mushrooms - Caps: M. In this step, we will repeat what we did in the first layer, but this time we will focus only on the cups. I will be using a size eight brush. The goal here is to deepen the colors of the cups. As I mentioned earlier, one layer is often not enough to achieve those rich colors in watercolor painting. Sometimes a single layer is enough depending on the desired effect, but in this case, we want those vibrant juicy colors. To achieve this, we will apply another layer of paint. We will use the same colors as before, but with the build up of two layers, the colors will become more saturated and more vibrant when they dry, simply because we are adding more pigment. At this stage, we will also create clear distinctions between each mushroom, similar to what we did with the leaves in the second layer. Not only are we deepening the colors, but we are also using darker tonal values to separate the mushrooms from each other. For example, I'm using the darker maroon color to paint the cap of the mushroom in the back. Then I apply the maroon color to the mushroom in front. But notice that I'm not going all the way to the edge on the right. That edge remains slightly lighter and more yellowish, which helps distinguish the mushroom from the one behind it. I'm also dropping in some darker tones where needed. This stage is quite straightforward, and I don't have much else to add here. Just continue applying the paint to make the colors of the cups more saturated. You can also create a bit more texture or an impression of a wrinkled surface by applying paint to the upper end middle parts of the cup, and then pulling that paint towards the edge, creating light stripes of various widths. Once you finish, leave everything to dry completely, or you can use a dryer for a quicker drying process. Just remember to wait until the paper cools down before moving on to the next step. Oh. 15. Mushrooms - Stems: In this short and easy step, we will focus only on the stems. They are quite simple to paint, so you shouldn't have any issues with them. I'm mixing Burnt Sienna with pines gray, and I'm also preparing some Indian yellow. On the other side of my mixing space, I'm mixing Burnt Sienna with ultramarine blue. The second mix is similar to the first, but it's lighter and less intense than the one with pines gray. Now to paint the stems, we will divide this process into two stages. First, we need to ensure that the overall color, the base color of each stem is correct and dark enough. If a stem appears too light, or you want to make the colors more saturated, start by applying second layer to darken it. Some stems may already have two layers and be dark enough, while others might need this adjustment. Once you're satisfied with the tonal values, use a tone of to add a few elongated lines for texture. These shouldn't be too, just random lines running along the stem, either from top to bottom or bottom to top. The goal here is to create some texture and avoid a flat wash of paint. Darkening the stems, you can quickly dry everything with a hair dryer. Once the paper cools down, add those simple lines, this will enhance the visual interest without complicating things. That's it. Nothing difficult. Once you finish, we'll move on to the next part. 16. Using a Scrubber Brush: We're almost there. I know you might be feeling tired, but if you've made it this far, take a moment to look at your painting and be proud of what you've accomplished. I'm sure you will agree it's worth persevering. In this part of the process, we will add a touch of magic to your painting. This step is completely optional, but I personally couldn't wait to get to it because it creates this enchanting effect I've been envisioning and I've been waiting for. I will be using my scrubber brush. It's a Windsor and Newton Galeria brush size f. I've had it for several years and it's my go to for this technique. The goal here is to enhance the glowing light effect. If you're new to my tutorials, you might not be familiar with this technique, but it's one that I really like to incorporate whenever possible. The idea is that when sunlight hits an object, It creates strong highlight, which often appears as pure white. In these areas, I leave the white paper untouched because there is nothing more luminous in watercolor than the brightness of the paper itself. Even white paint won't create that same natural glow effect. This white light typically meets either the background color or sharp cast shadow. The magic happens when we soften these hard edges. While sharp edges can effectively convey light, softening them adds a magical touch as if we've turned on a gentle light source. I hope you can see this effect and the difference it makes. Using a damp scrubber brush, I gently along the edges where the paint meets the p. Once the paint is activated, I dab it with a paper towel to lift it off, creating a softer edge that enhances that magical glow. I will apply this technique on the mushrooms, leaves and moss to amplify the glowing effect. We can also use the scrubber brush along the edge where the gills meet the cup. In the reference, these edges appear lighter. There's lighter line along the edge. But for a more striking effect, we will accentuate them with in the final part. Now let's move on to the next step and paint the scales on the cups. Ur. 17. Mushrooms - Scales: Before we start painting the scales, I want to address two small sections that have been bothering me because they are just too light. I will apply a darker brown tone to these areas to give me peace of mind for the next step. Now let's move on to painting the scales. This is a quick and straightforward process that you will find easy to manage. We'll be adding irregular marks on the caps with a darker brown. Here are three key points to keep in mind. Vary the color and tonal value. The mushrooms on the left, being more in the shadow, should have slightly darker scales. In contrast, the mushrooms on the right, especially those with beautiful highlights can have lighter, perhaps more yellowish scales. Avoid uniformity. Each scale should be unique. Notice how some marks are more elongated while others are shorter or rounder. They shouldn't form a uniform pattern. Instead, aim for natural organic shapes that enhance the look of the cups. Follow the circles. Imagine their circles on each cup. As you add the marks, orient them to follow these invisible circular forms. If you paint them in straight line, they won't appear natural. The scales should curve around each cup, reflecting their form. Those are the three main important things to keep in mind. Well, we could spend extra time perfecting the scales, adding highlights and tiny shadows under each one, I believe these simple marks will be enough to create the effect we want. Once you finish this part, we will move on to the final, also optional step, where I will show you what else we can do. 18. Using White Gouache: As I mentioned, this step is optional, but I would like to show you how to use white guash to add tiny details and refine some areas. I'll be using Windsor Newton Designer's ga. I'll squeeze a little bit into a piece of paper, but feel free to use your palette as well. If you like, I prefer paper because it keeps the gah close to my painting area, and afterward, I can easily dispose of it. On its own, white guash can appear too cool or harsh. I will mix in some burnt sienna and Indian yellow until I achieve a very pale, creamy color. Very similar to the color that I can see on the edges of the cups. Once I'm happy with that color, I can use it for several purposes. I can paint the edges of the cups. While while creating the edges with a scrubber brush can be challenging because scrubber brush is not so precise. Painting them now with opaque paint is much easier. I can also add more gills if I need to. If there are areas that could benefit from adding more gills, this opaque paint is perfect for that. I can also refine the edges. We can paint and refine the edges of the cups. Creating the edges with a scrubber brush can be challenging because it's not so precise. Painting the edges with the lighter opaque paint and defining the edges is really much easier and enhances the overall look. If I mix the white guash with other colors like green gold and Indian yellow, I can create a pale version of green that I can use to add texture to the moss. This is great for those tiny moss leaves that catch the sunlight and create that shimmering effect as the opacity allows us to paint over darker areas easily. Returning to that creamy coolor, it can also be applied to the bark to add small highlights that may have been lost in the earlier layers. These tiny details may seem minor, but they enhance the overall feel of the painting. Finally, I often mix Gach with the colors used in the painting to sign my work. Once my painting is signed, it signifies that I consider it complete. Even if I notice mistakes or things I could improve, I won't touch it after signing. I know. Now I can remove the tape and reveal that nice clean border. Later, I will take the painting off the gator board and trim the edges, leaving just a white border around. That's it. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I enjoyed working on all those textures and beautiful fall colors, and I hope you are happy with your result as well. In the final part, we will summarize what we've learned from this tutorial. 19. Summary: Oh. Let's summarize what we've covered in the tutorial. We learned how to create a soft, blurry wet on wet background. We explored how to achieve deep rich colors using layering techniques. We painted bark, creating beautiful textures on the tree and moss. We discovered how layering can effectively render a natural look for leaves and other natural elements. We practiced painting fall leaves, building their colors, adding textures, and detailing the veins. We tackled the structural elements of mushrooms, including cups, gills, and stems. We created a magical light effect to enhance our painting, and we effectively used a scrubber brush and white guh to add highlights and details. This was a great project, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Thank you for joining me on this creative journey. I truly appreciate the time you've spent with me. I encourage you to give this painting a try. It's a really rewarding experience. You've already completed your painting, congratulations. You've done an excellent job, and I hope you are proud of your result. Thank you very much for watching and happy painting by