Vibrant Watercolor Paintings: Seeing the World Through Vivid Colors

1. Introduction: In this class, you'll learn how to perceive the world through vivid color and paint real subject in colorful way. Hi, my name is Miki. I am an artist living in Japan. I'm easygoing person, and I like to paint freely. My painting style consisting using primary colors, which mean I don't mix color on the palette, rather I like to use the color directly. This allows me to pick the color quickly while focusing on my reference. My painting has been exhibited in Japan and Europe. Since colorful art can promote the feeling of well-being and bolster the active response to stress. I want to try my exhibition on inspiring occasion where colorful painting can give you a new experience and good feeling to people. In fact, a researcher found that when you look a piece of art, the same area of the brain are stimulated when you are in love, so colorful painting can simply induce your positive mental state. Through art class, you'll learn how to choose the reference or model, sketch your reference by connect-dot techniques I'll be showing you, control the brush and how to use different brushes for different purposes, like creating the base layer and adding details. Pick the palette best on analyzing the values in your reference; the light, mid, dark tones. Create a balance and composition that is pleasing to the eyes. For your class project, you'll be choosing a real life reference and paint it vividly with improvisation and imagination. Anyone can take this class. It's perfect for beginner artists. More season artists could also benefit from this class in learning more about how to translate the reference photo into vivid colors in painting. I believe that the painting is an intellectual task. When you paint, your subconscious is reflected in your work and start to speak with you. Because art is expression of human spirit, this makes each of our painting unique. Even we paint simultaneously with the same palette, different art will appear. What I hope that you take home in these classes that, that color can raise your spirit. Let's make the world more colorful place. Let's get started. 2. The Project: In this project, we will create a watercolor painting. You will learn to paint the primary color in which you create a beautiful and a colorful painting from real-world object. Just [inaudible] , so that you can paint a picture you even wish to decorate the room and send it as a letter to a friend and family. Before we get into creation, I will show you how to convert a real object into vivid color, but you don't have to need understand it clearly. It's okay to know somehow. Our next imaging, what do you want to paint? I painted this horse in this class. I think it's better you paint the same object with me at first, and then you paint your favorite around the colorful way. I have online painting class, if you take the class, you can paint interactively with me there. There are several things you should do. If you take on this class, you can complete all task. For this class, you will need the following materials. First of all, we will be using the watercolor paint. At least 10 colors are enough, but if you already have less it's okay to make on the pallet. Buy some watercolor paint in the store, ranging expensive to cheap. However, it leave up to you, what do you want to use? Mostly I use Holbein paints, its price is reasonable and I'm satisfied with the beautiful colors and the breeding. If you have watercolor pans, it's also good. You will need a pallet if you use a tool for sketching. You'll basically use a simple pencil and eraser, maybe you can find in your home. Don't forget the bucket. In addition, a paper tower and cloth is necessary in order to clean the brushes and remove the excess water out of the brushes while we paint. Regarding the brushes, we will use the three for different thickness. Flat brush Number 14 and Number 9, and round brush Number 1 or 2. We will use the thick brush and the middle brush and the fine brushes. Finally, have your painting paper. Once you complete in this project, you can upload to the project gallery. We can all have a look what you did. I allow to see your creation, let's enjoy the difference among us. With your other work, you can decorate your room and the send it as a letter for your friend and family. You're of cause welcome to share your painting on social media just make sure to use the hashtag PowerOfArt. I think color has a strong power to raise our spirit. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. That's it. You have got the materials ready. Come on, join me in the next video, we will talk about brush control. 3. Brush Control: In this lesson, I'm going to show you brush control. It's very important to balance the water and paint. If I have more paint on my brush and less water, you are going to have a strong beautiful color and it become a scratch touch. Strong beautiful color and scratch touch because there is the less water. Again, I have more paint on my brush and less water with orange. Overlay orange on pink. Even where the color overlap, each color does not blend independently. If I add more water, it becomes lighter. The more water I add, the lighter it becomes, looks just like plain water. I have more water on my brush and less paint with yellow-green. Layer a little bit on blue. Each color are going to spread and blend. Paint a red line across the dry paint area and wet paint area. The color of the dry area is independent, the wet area bleeds. The red on pink and orange is inconspicuous, but the red on the blue and yellow-green is a noticeable and beautiful color difference. I paint a blue dot on the light area with a round brush. Appears a sharp contrast. Paint a red dot next to the blue dot, add more green dot, also on white paper. Rhythm is created by changing color and how to paint dot. Next dot, wet pink on red, blue, and yellow-green. I'll put wet pink on dots. New colors are created by layering colors on it, and wet yellow also. Wet color make some change over time. If you don't need much color, you can also put off the color. For example, let's has a paper towel and I can pick up paint and we'll make beautiful little textures. You can layer the color on it, and more and more. By layering color, you can create a rich color compared to where the color do not layer. Furthermore, you can melt a dry color with a wet brush and create a mixed color. You can layer color on it again. Also, you can pick up paint and layer new colors. The color changes depending on the base colors. Also, paint blue. I like to layer different colors directly on paper, not palette. If you think you made a mistake, recovery is possible. Sometimes, mistakes can lead to the discovery of the new ways. Don't be afraid of fail. If you try a lot, you can find a good way. So that's it, the basics. I hope you guys enjoy this lesson. I think we are ready to start. Let's move the next. 4. The World Through Vivid Colors: In this lesson, we are going to talk about seeing some of the vivid color. This is my process for painting with vivid colors that has to do with identifying bright and dark tones in an image. This is an elephant, his skin is gray, but it's color intensity changing depending on how it is exposed to light. Here is bright, and here is dark, those colors are different. This is the color chart we got orange, pink, green, blue, purple. I love those vivid colors, make this grayscales. You can understand the lightness of vivid colors. Bright to dark, this is the brightest color that means, yellow is the brightest of those. Pink, red, orange, and green, light blue. Colors of these area are medium dark and dark blue is the darkest color in those. This is my painting of that elephant, where the light shining place, it is painting in yellow. His abdomen is the middle dark, that's why I use red and light blue that place. The lower part of the abdomen and the tear and the bones are dark. I used dark blue here. If you don't know which color to paint, make the motif photo grayscale. Check how much is dark with the grayscale chat. It is almost the same color lighting place on the grayscale. This lightness is yellow. Again, here is a medium dark. That mean we use those colors here. At the last to here is the darkest, I use dark blue here. Let's check the painting. I use such colors. This is a logical way of my style. My painting style is convert to vivid colors with the same brightness. But you don't need to think so much deeply, add beyond the logic. Bob Ross said, "There are no mistakes, only happy accidents." Come out of your shell, enjoy painting like a child. Spreading of watercolor leads to unexpected finishes. Let nature take its course, it's also fun. If you like to use watercolor, watercolor always help you. In the next video, I'll show you how to decide on the motif. But if you paint a horse, it's the same motif with me, you can skip it. Let's move to the next. 5. What Do You Want to Paint?: In this class, you are able paint any real subject in colorway, pet, cat, wild lion, [inaudible] , flowers, etc. You can choose what do you want to paint. For me, I'm mostly interested in facial expression and body movement. I like to paint eyes and the muscles or body. They express various emotions, happiness, fun, sadness, depressing. I want to paint such feelings. When I start to paint, I prepare the picture, what I want to paint. If you want to paint moving objects such as pets and children, find the best shot you want to paint. If you want to find your own moody from Internet, Pixabay for instance is a one of the best website to research and save your inspiration in different ways. Sometimes I get inspiration from magazine and everyday life. Let's get inspiration from daily life. I'm going to paint this horse in this class. If you want to follow exactly what I'm doing, you can also choose this horse and download the image that I provide that the class project. We will start to sketching in the next video. Let's move next. 6. Sketching: We are ready to start to bend. In this video, I'm going to show you how to sketch. I decide to paint this horse, but if you want to sketch in your own style, it's also good. You don't need to sketch as shown in the picture. Feel free and relax. At first, find out what comes to top. Horse ears, mark with a dot on the top of the ears. The tip of the nose of the left side, tail on the left end, body on the right and chin and eye. Mark the point and connect the dots with a line. The shape of a horse appears. I correct the shape of nose. As you approach completion, it become easier to notice mistakes. We will paint color later. You don't need the sketch in detail. Also, you don't need to sketch perfectly. It's okay when you can sketch a rough shape. I notice his eye are in the wrong place. Let's correct. I moved his eyes down. See the whole shape, connect the dot with a line again and again. If you feel it's okay, it's finished. The last shape of the horse is finished. You can upload your progress in the project gallery. I'd love to see your creation. Let's enjoy the difference among us. Also, feel free to contact me if you have any question. I always happy to help you. In the next video, we are going to start to paint. 7. Adding Base Layer: Thick Brush: In this video, I'm going to show you how to paint the thick brush for base layer. Paint dynamically without worrying about sticking out rather than painting a motif as it is. Paint the surface lovely. Paint yellow in bright areas and along with the shape of surface. You don't need to stay within the line of a sketch. Paint it dynamically. Paint the slightly dark area in yellow green, and the paint the front of the body along with the shape of the muscle, and surface, and muscle, and head. Paint the next dark area in pink. Paint according to the shape of the surface, painting front of the body. Paint the shadow of the unevenness of the muscles. Paint the slightly dark parts of the muscle in pink, main and ear holes. Paint blue along with the muscles like before by painting blue next to pink, it looks gorgeous. Add blue to the shadow of the ear holes. You may also add orange, the opposite color of blue to make it brilliant. As described, paint the hove with lovely. We are done with the base layer. In the next video, we will paint the details. See you soon. 8. Adding Fine Details: Thin Brush: In this video, I'm going to show you how to paint fine details. Let's paint a detailed colorfully eyes, nose, and the glow of the hair. Paint on the edges of the eye. I don't paint all at once, and shadow over the ear hole, the nose hole, and paint dark parts. The grow of the hair on the tail. The next, I paint this side with dark blue. This is the opposite color of red. Paint with dots like before on the outline of the eye. Add dark blue to the nose. By layering colors, it'll become darker. Add dark blue to the chin and the base of the tail. By luckily painting the whole shape and adding detail, our horse appeared. In the next video, we we'll add little more colors to make it gorgeous. 9. Balance and Signature: Let's finish the painting in this video. Add the color and make it more colorful and sign at the end. Paint the front of the body in red. It makes the front looks clear and the base of the tail. The base of the tail, it's dark color like black. I layered red on top of the already painted colors. Paint blue to clear the head area. Paint along the tail with orange, create an atmosphere of being blown by the wind. Orange under the eye. Put orange next to blue to make it looks brilliant. Paint the muzzle orange, too. Add the blue for tail, the opposite color of orange. Paint blue on the tense on the cheek. Put blue on the top of the warm color for tail. This makes it gorgeous. Put red upper left the eye, following the shape of the surface of the face. Add pink to the tail to make it brilliant. Brush in this direction, you can create a three-dimensional effect on the body. Add dark blue dots to the eye. Paint the ear hole in dark blue too. Add dark blue in the darkest place. Expresses the flow of the hair on the tail, layer the colors on the dark part of the front of the body. Add red to the tail to make it colorful, add pink as accent color. Lastly, write the signature and finish. By arranging the opposite two colors next to each other, the power of the colors are empathized. If you decorate your artwork, your life is more colorful. You can send it to your friends and family by making card or letter. We are almost done in this class. Join me the next video. We will share the final thought. 10. Final Thoughts : Congratulations. You are here, that means you're completing this class. I hope you can feel how much fun to paint gallery. I'm really happy if you share your art in the project gallery. Whenever you get the chance to see others, other people will see it as well. There are unique art there we can appreciate and look on our diversity among us. If you follow me in Instagram, you can see my other types of art. Let me know if you feel something; what did you enjoy the most? What can be improved? All your comment will be very valuable for me. Feel free to share your project in project gallery. I'm really excited to see I learned a lot by making this class. Congratulation, and thank you for watching this class.