Painting Dynamic Water Droplets with Watercolor Markers

1. Painting Dynamic Water Droplets with Watercolor Markers: Are you tired of painting flat looking water droplets? Can't seem to get the hang of painting it right with your markers. Maybe you've always wanted to be able to create those realistic reflective droplets after a rainy day. Well, if so, then you're in the right place. In this short course, I'll teach you my process for creating dynamic, colorful water droplets that pop off the paper in just seven days. Everything I'm about to teach you, I've learned from personal experience, just playing around with the markers. Hey, I'm Marie, a watercolor marker enthusiast. I fell in love with these markers because of their ease of use and the ability to draw with them like markers, but blend them like watercolors. They're a great medium for artists that want to have a no mess, minimalistic experience, but also be able to create something that looks like regular watercolors. In this exciting new class, we're diving headfirst into the mesmerizing world of painting dynamic and colorful water droplets and reflections. Get ready to unleash your creativity as we explore the enchanting beauty of water droplets and the way they play with light and color. With the magic of watercolor brush markers, we'll bring these tiny shimmering marvels to life on paper. Get ready to dip into a world of creativity and color with our class on painting dynamic water droplets. By the end of the week, you'll have a beautiful collection of seven different water droplet drawings that you can display or show to your friends and family. 2. Class Materials: The materials you'll need for this class will be a high quality watercolor paper. It should be about 140 pounds, cold pressed and acid free. It should tell you on the cover of your watercolor pad how much it is, and you're also going to need a plastic lid for blending, nothing fancy, and a paper towel for dabbing and cleaning out water pens. We're also using a mechanical pencil, but you can use any type of sharpened pencil you have along with something that has an eraser like this pencil. And for our markers, I picked out about 15 or so colors and a couple of water pins. So let's take a look at those. Let me just pull the caps off. And as you can see, one of them is flat, but the others are round and they have pretty small tips. We're just going to be using the round ones for this class. We're not really going to use the flat one. For the blue water droplets, we'll be painting, I picked out five colors. We have hair and blue, Azure, sky blue, a dark blue for masters touch, and then a dark Cyan. For the green water droplets, we'll use yellow green, regular green, fluorescent yellow, grass green, and olive. You can use whatever colors you have in your own watercolor set, but these are the ones I've chosen. We also have a fluorescent green, and then two dark greens and a black. And that's all you need for the class. 3. Day 1: Teardrop in Green: Welcome to day one of our painting challenge. Today, we're starting strong by painting this beautiful green water droplet, a perfect subject to explore light, color, and subtle detail. Before we dive in, I want to share a few thoughts to help you feel more confident as we begin. If you study any water droplet, you'll notice some common visual elements. No matter what the shape, droplets behave much like tiny mirrors. They reflect their surroundings, capture light, and reveal hidden shapes or colors within themselves. You'll usually find a highlight some kind of reflection and a shadow, whether it's bold or soft. So to get started, I've chosen a selection of colors, fluorescent yellow, yellow green, fluorescent green, grass green, regular green, dark green, and a touch of black. Before we begin sketching, let's take a moment to identify and mark out the highlight areas on the droplet. These spots will remain untouched by paint to preserve their brightness, but we'll come back to them later to add some details. So go ahead and sketch a light outline of the droplet. It doesn't have to be perfect. Water droplets are very forgiving. Once that's done, I'm just going to outline the highlight shapes within the droplet so I don't accidentally paint over them. Next, apply fluorescent yellow by rubbing the marker onto the lid and use the pigment with a water pen to lay down a very light base layer. The key here is to start light and build in layers. So fill in the entire droplet shape, excluding the highlight area with the light tone. Now I'm using fluorescent yellow marker directly on the paper, applying pigment around the edges of the droplet. And then with the water pen, I'll gently pull the pigment inward, creating a soft transition while avoiding the highlight area. And once that's dry, take your pencil and erase any sketch lines that are no longer needed. Then we'll move on to fluorescent green. You want to apply the pigment to the lid and pick it up with the water pen again, blending from the outer edges inward. Then we'll mix yellow green and regular green. These will add another dimension of tone. Again, picking up the pigment from the lid and layering it down. And at this point, I've also erased the highlight pencil lines. We won't be kneading those anymore. With the dark green, we're going to further define the outer edge of the droplet, use your water pen to soften and blend the edges. It helps the droplet look more rounded and dimensional. And returning to the highlight area, we're going to use very pale, watery green tone, just diluted pigment and then dab in some subtle reflections because even the brightest highlights contain faint colors from their surroundings, maybe like a tree or foliage above the droplet. Then mix a little bit of dark green and black for the shadow and begin defining the background. You can also mix grass green, regular green, and dark green to create a leafy texture behind the droplet. Don't worry about matching the reference exactly. This is a space where you can just be creative and make it your own. And finally, for that extra pop, use a fine line of black and green to outline the droplet. This will give it contrast and help it stand out from the background. And there you have it. Your first droplet is complete. Congratulations on finishing Day one, and I'll see you tomorrow as we continue our water droplet painting series. 4. Day 2: Painting a Suspended Droplet: For today's challenge, we'll be painting a droplet that might look complex at first, but once we break it down into basic shapes and colors, it becomes more approachable. So before we begin, I want to highlight the three main reflection points within the droplet. These will act as our highlight areas, so we'll be careful to leave them blank for now. And for today's palette, I've chosen fluorescent yellow, blue gray, grass green, dark green, regular green, and black. First time cleaning off the lid, and then we'll start by sketching the droplets outline. The shape is fairly simple and it doesn't have to be perfect. Just do your best. Sketch lightly and feel free to erase and adjust your lines as needed. Next, sketch in the highlighted areas, the light reflections we want to preserve. These include the reflective shapes like the sky or other bright areas. And then we're going to start preparing our colors. Add grass green, blue gray, black, and a bit of sky blue onto the lid. These shades reflect the droplets surroundings, so those will be our first layers. So using your water pen, start layering the lightest colors first. Begin with blue gray and grass green, softly mapping in the color patches and shapes you see, like the gray reflections and the black circular shape in the center and the green blade of grass on the left. This part might not look pretty right away, and that's okay. We're just building up shapes and values, and the image will start to come together as we layer. Just remember to leave those highlight areas untouched, and we'll add in a little bit of pigment later on. So continue filling in the droplet by picking up the pigment from the lid with your waterpen and blending it directly onto the paper. Next, you're going to take your fluorescent yellow marker and apply it directly onto the droplet to brighten it and unify the tones. You'll start to see this shape really taking form now. For the background, mix black and blue gray to create a soft, neutral backdrop, a lighter background will work well, but if you want the droplet to stand out even more, feel free to darken it or even mix in some green tones to reflect a more natural environment. Now let's paint the leaf the droplet is resting on. Start with fluorescent yellow and grass green to paint the brighter areas that are in the sun blending with your water pen. Then use dark green for the shadowed part of the leaf. You'll notice that the leaf curves or folds slightly. So take your time to build up the top section using the brighter colors and then deepen the form using dark green and regular green. Just add a little more shadow for depth. This helps create a more three dimensional look. We're just going to add a few finishing touches to our droplet, and then we're done. Congratulations on finishing Day two. You're doing an amazing job. I'll see you tomorrow for Day three, and we're going to explore a whole new kind of droplet. 5. Day 3: Simple Window Pane Droplet: Today's subject is simple yet beautiful. It's a raindrop on a window pane. You'll see several droplets in the scene, but for today's challenge, we're focusing on the central droplet. So let's begin by lightly sketching the outline. This one follows a simple teardrop shape. Once the shape is in place, lightly mark the highlighted areas, especially in the center and near the bottom left edge. Then sketch in the darker zones to give yourself a visual guide for where those shadows will go later. For today's color palette, we're using blue gray, dark cyan and black. So just a simple palette. So go ahead and rub a bit of each marker onto your plastic lid, and then with your water pen, pick up the pigment and begin working it onto the paper, starting with the blue gray, which is our lightest tone for this droplet. Use gentle strokes around the lightest parts of the droplet and trace along the edges. This helps define the shape softly without overpowering it. Oh. Now mix black and dark cyan and begin filling in the deepest shadowed areas, focusing on the edges and reflections within the droplet. Try to follow the shapes and placement as closely as possible, but it doesn't have to be a perfect replica. Then mix blue gray with dark cyan and continue layering up the shadows and subtle color transitions. The most important thing here is to pay attention to values, where the darkest and lightest areas are, not just the exact colors. Now I'm outlining the droplet to define it more clearly and adding a soft shadow underneath using the same color palette. For the background, I mix blue gray with a little cyan applying it lightly to build up the contrast. You can also darken it a bit more to help the droplets stand out or even add other colors if you want. Alright, our water droplet is complete. Congratulations on finishing Day three. I hope you'll join me tomorrow for our next water droplet, which is a beautiful, vivid green droplet on a succulent leaf. 6. Day 4: Resting Droplet on a Succulent Leaf: Welcome to Day four. Before we get started, let's take a moment to mark out the two main highlight areas on the droplet and take note of the shadowed areas and the midtones. So go ahead and lightly sketch the shape of the succulent leaf and the droplet sitting on top. Take your time with this, sketch lightly, and just erase and adjust until you're happy with the outline. For today's color palette we'll be using many of the same shades from earlier sessions fluorescent yellow, yellow green, regular green, grass green, dark green, and black. Scribble a bit of each color onto your lid or palette, and we're going to start with fluorescent yellow, our lightest shade as the first layer inside the droplet. Once that's in place, layer over it with fluorescent green, filling in the droplet carefully and blending gently around the highlight areas. We're just avoiding those for now. Begin building up the darker edges of the droplet, slowly pulling pigment toward the highlights while keeping those areas clean and bright. Use your water pen to blend the layers smoothly. This step is key for creating depth and realism. We're also going to add some fluorescent yellow near the high light and midtone areas to enhance the translucent look of the droplet. Now take your black marker and lightly outline the bottom of the droplet, creating a soft cast shadow beneath it. Use your water pen to gently blend it out. Already, you'll start to see the droplet pop off the page. And to intensify the contrast and form, go ahead and mix dark green with a touch of black and add it to the deepest parts of the droplet that are in shadow. This added contrast will enhance the droplet's three dimensional appearance. Moving on to the succulent leaf, we're going to mix grass green, regular green, dark green, and a bit of fluorescent yellow onto the lid and begin applying the pigment from the lighter edges of the leaf, gradually transitioning into the shadowed side. Just blend everything out with your water pen to create smooth transitions and natural looking textures. At this point, you can feel free to experiment and personalize the look of the leaf, add a few extra touches, layer more pigment or adjust the colors to your liking. And lastly, gently erase any visible pencil lines that remain, especially around the highlights. 7. Day 5: Large and Luminous Green Droplet: Our challenge today is this vibrant green droplet. As always, we'll begin by mapping out the droplet and carefully noting the main highlight which sits right at the center. Go ahead and lightly sketch the droplet. This one is relatively simple in shape, an oval with a slightly flattened base. For today's palette you'll need fluorescent yellow, fluorescent green, grass green, regular green, dark green, and a touch of black. I'm scribbling the pigment directly onto the lid, starting out with our lightest tone, fluorescent yellow to create a soft undertone. And before I forget, let's go ahead and mark out the highlight area. A quick tip if your markers get wet at the tips, they can temporarily lose pigment. Just rub them gently on some dry paper to get the color flowing again. As usual, we start with our lightest undertone color fluorescent yellow and blend it out with the water pen. Next, take your fluorescent green and add it around the edges of the droplet, especially in the darkest areas which are in shadow and blend that out softly. Now we'll deepen the form using dark green. Work it gently around the edges, using the water pen to build up those darker values. This layering from light to dark creates that beautiful three dimensional effect. I'm now taking the darkest green and working it along the top edge of the droplet. This is where the deepest shadows sit. Blend the area carefully and try not to mix it too much towards the highlight area. Now you'll start to see the droplet really take shape. To finish up the droplet itself, I'm adding reflections and internal lines you might see through the droplet, which are the veins of the leaf it's sitting on. Just dab the marker to make subtle spots and lines using the fluorescent green, grass green, and fluorescent yellow. And then we'll bring in a bit of black mixed with regular green to create the shadow beneath the droplet. At this point, the droplet is nearly complete, but to really make it pop, we'll add a soft outline and begin working on the background. Rather than copying the reference exactly, we'll give it our own creative twist. I'm using a blend of black, dark green, and grass green, gently touching up the reflected highlight with a hint of green. You'll notice how those see through lines and reflections in the highlight really add depth and realism. I'm also following the directional flow of the leaf, mirroring the up and down stroke pattern of the water droplet itself, adding soft linear strokes and darkening areas here and there to suggest texture and form. Now let's add our background to really help it come to life in context. Just mix the same color palette for the background, ensuring your brush strokes mimic the same direction as the ones we just painted inside the droplet. And as you can see, this backdrop really makes a huge difference by enhancing the glassy look of the droplet and helping it to pop off the paper. 8. Day 6: Deep Emerald Droplet: Welcome today six of our painting challenge. We've already painted five droplets so far. So by now, you know the drill highlights shadows and blending the midtones in between. Today's droplet brings a cooler, more dramatic feel compared to the ones we've painted so far. It's deeper in tone and carries a moody vibe. So I've added a new color to the mix to help create that effect. We're still using many of the familiar shades, fluorescent yellow, fluorescent green, regular green, dark green, and black. And I've chosen a bottle green, which is a bluish green color that will really help us achieve the cooler atmosphere that we're aiming for. Before we paint anything, make sure you've identified the two main highlight spots. One is fairly sharp. The other is more diffused. As always, we'll paint around these areas to preserve that glow until we've painted most of the droplet. For the base layer, start with fluorescent yellow and a touch of fluorescent green. Then you're going to blend in regular green and grass green, especially around the edges. This is where we build the form, soft transitions, and create those gentle curves. Just continually layer the colors, adding dots to show the reflections within the droplet and building up that depth. Then right where the bottom diffuse tlight rounds out the edge of the droplet, we're going to add a shadow of black and green and start layering in the background to give our droplets some context. For the background, use the same color palette and create a leaf like background by keeping your brush strokes in lines going up and down to create a leaf like textured defect. Alright, I think that looks great. And even though it doesn't look just like the reference, we've applied the same principles of lighting, shadow, and layering. So we've created a droplet that showcases three dimensionality and captures the concept of water while being totally unique. 9. Day 7: Descending Blue Droplet: By now, you're already automatically noticing highlights, shadows and values of water droplets wherever you look, be it in nature, in your surroundings or in photographs. You've already learned the key components of any water droplet shapes of light where shadows fall and the intermediary values and how to capture reflections to make droplets look more realistic. So let's dive into our final drawing this beautiful blue raindrop. Our color palette for this one will be a little bit different. We're using her and blue, which is very pale, sky blue, dark cyan and dark blue. This raindrop has one sharp highlight and a diffused highlight towards the top. To make things easier, we'll sketch out the shadow areas around the edges and then mark out the highlight areas to avoid ensuring our pencil lines are very light. For the first layer, do a wet wash of hair and blue covering the surface of the droplet, avoiding the highlights. We're going to add all of our colors to our lid and layer with the water pen. Then to cover the hair and blue, we'll add sky blue in the midtones and shadowed parts of the droplet and we'll build up even darker with the dark blue, trying to create an even transition across the midtones and shadows. And lastly, we'll add dark Cyan along the edges of the deepest shadows. To finish off the painting, we're going to add a shadow and background. Our reference photo doesn't have a shadow, but we're going to add one to give it a three dimensional look. That's the fun part about painting. You can adjust details, simplify, or jazz it up with your own ideas of how you want your painting to look. So we're going to add the shadow using a slightly darker blend than what we used for the background. Since we use dark Sian and hair and blue, just add more dark Sian to the blend to create that darker tone. And for the final touch, I'm going to make the background a bit darker to improve the contrast and make the droplet pop off the paper. 10. Final Thoughts: Congratulations on completing the challenge. This brings us to the end of our class on painting dynamic water droplets. I hope you're leaving with a stronger understanding of painting highlights, shadows, and capturing reflections within water droplets. Whether this was your first attempt or you've been painting for many years, the techniques and observations that you learned in this class, you can continue to experiment with in your art journey. If you enjoyed this class, I'd really appreciate it if you left a review and shared your paintings in the class gallery. I'd love to see your versions of these water droplets and what you learned from the class. And if there was something you were hoping to learn that didn't get covered, feel free to share your thoughts in a review or in the class discussion section. I read all the comments and reviews to continue improving and creating better classes. Thanks so much for painting with me this week. 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