Watercolor Painting, Koi Fish in a Bulb

1. Intro: Welcome back, artist, No Deranel here. Happy to be back after a while. I took a little bit of space to do different things like photography or something. Never stop to be creative anyway. Today, I like to show you how I realize this. Water por painting. I tried to show you and hopefully you can see better, but I now will place the final image somewhere around here, so you can see better. Anyway, of course, I am going to show you every single step of this painting from tracing, so how I transfer the reference image on the paper and all the materials I've used, and of course, step by step. I like to The way I teach is I don't want to be like this is a rule you have to do that. What I mean is I do not want to limit your creativity and I don't want to be like a surgeon to say no, you have to do that because Mine during my teaching, and by the way, sorry about my little broken English, mine are suggestion and how I paint, so my workflow, and I like to show you what I do. But if I really like you feel free to do anything you like, take this like a suggestion like a base, like sharing of what they do. But if you like to change something, if you like to change subject colors, maybe use a different technique. I am totally open and happy to see what you do, what you will do, what you've done. And if you want to share me your work, I will be really happy to see that and maybe give you some suggestion if you need it. So the most important thing to me is the emotion to be cre creative and the way the best way to paint because maybe my workflow worked for me but doesn't work for you. It's totally is totally okay and it's totally understandable. So if you maybe I can learn something from you because I missed something I never tried before. So why not? This is the main point and the main focus. Now, I don't want to talk too much. I'm going to show you what I did with this painting. See you next time. Thank you again to follow me, and I really hope you enjoy all the full entire work for. Chi. 2. Materials: I'd like to start to show you the material I've actually used. I start with the paper, which is the arches, I don't know if you can see, arches, Aqua l cores, 300 GSM or 140 pounds, 23 by 31, and this is important under percent cot. This is the version. I show you rough, which means there is a lot of texture here on the paper. I actually love to use this kind of paper. There is other two kind of paper on the market. One is just cold press. This is cold press as well. But with rough texture, the other co ps is a little bit more smoother. Is not completely smooth. Probably could be something like this. As you can see, less smooth. This is a piece of paper. I need you this for one s molting in 1 minute. The last one is the hot press paper, which is the paper. I've I try to use for a while and I do not like at all. The main reason is because I can work on the color a little bit more of this one. I mean, on the hot press paper, the color will dry very instantly. If you miss if you make some mistake like you make stripe or a line you don't like, there is no way to come back. With this one, if you deep the brush in the water, you can still be able to paint over again for a while. No forever, of course, because it's watercolor, but this is the main reason why I like the cold press paper even better for me if it's grain or rough personal preference. The paper I suggest you n way is cold press. Last one piece of paper. The next thing is technical pen. You can use, of course, any pencil you want. I like to use this technical pen. I don't remember if this is an HB or two B, but actually it doesn't really matter. This is just for the train trace to trace the main line of the work. The other important thing is this font pen, I have three Fontaine pen. Wordsworth and Black is one of my favorite brand. I don't know if all of those three are Wordsworth and black. The main difference between all of the Fontaine pen is the Nib. This is fine, like this one. This is fine as well. If I remember if I'm correct, this should be medium. This is a little bit bigger, so this is medium size. On this let me show you. On this pontine pen here, The ink I've used is one. I tried many different things, but this one I think is the best. The carbon ink. This is good because it is suitable for Fontaine pen. No every ink. Black ink is suitable for font pen, but this it is and also is very good as waterproof, black ink. Which means if you go over with wash after you trace with your painting, you're not going to make a mess. The thing I suggest you This is a little tick trick and tricks or tip and tricks. I don't know. Sorry, but my English. Anyway, the thing I suggest you when you finish to trash to trace the drawing on your piece of paper, make some scratch on a piece of paper, you have to th piece of paper you have from another painting you didn't like like I usually do. When you finish to trace the drawer, make some lines here. Wait just a little bit, not so much. But when you think the ink, the black ink is completely dry, just go over with some wash or take a rubber and just scratch it. If this is okay and doesn't make any problem, which means that the one you used to trace the main work should be dry as well, so you're not going to ruin everything. Brushes. For this particular work, I used a lot mop brush. I got a lot of different mop brush because I like a lot to use this kind of brush. This is well, I think. This is an Italian brand. It's really really good. I didn't know the kind of bruh signs a few months ago. B Bonati, you can find those kind of painting brush on their website. I really love this, that all synthetic, but the construction, this part, I mean, how I can hold in my hand is very good. Another thing I quite like is this part here because you're not going to lose your brush. When you drop down, it stay on in place and This is a this is the series one of a brand. She's a watercolor artist. This is not a brand who make brush. But I think she collaborated with someone make brush and actually, I quite love this brush. Now I don't think this is on the market anymore, so probably the series one is continue. I know she made a series two, but I never try. Anyway, I got those are two, but the set is brush in total, and I like this even because especially with this one, synthetic and vegan as well. The point here, it's very good to make some fine lines or some details. This is why I particularly love those brush. Of course, T normal brush, this is another brand I really like is principon. Round brush, very pointed. This is the princon Neptune. I think this is a square limitation, synthetic this as well, I stopped to use natural hair a while ago. I go with synthetic bristle because I feel more comfortable to use synthetic bristle for many different reasons. I'm not vegan, but I don't know how they made brush. Just to be sure, I switched to a synthetic even because now with the technology, the synthetic bristle are very, very good. So Neptune very smooth. As you can see, this is middle, this is not completely dry, but it is not completely wet as well. I'm going to wet just to show you how what I mean. This is very, very smooth. As you can see, can keep I don't know if you can see against the light. This can keep the point. I use this brush for probably two years, and as you can see still very Good is not ruined on the point. From the same brand print or acquit, this is a little bit more strong compared to this one. Smooth and strong. I'm going to this one as well, so you can see what I mean. This is more strong. I don't know if you can see the difference. You probably won't get it, but I hope you believe mean smooth, strong, or at least more tight. Colors. I know Daniels Meat is one of the most popular brand of W color around there. I try that. I like Daniel's Meat. But I find two brands I love much more than Daniel's Meat. My favorite one is gran color. I particularly love this kind of color because they put a little bit of honey inside of the tube and the color, which means those color can stay you can reactivate this color very very easy even after years. If I remember well, I didn't touch one of those two blacks, which is assuming is this one. As in cream is is this one. Let me show you what it means. Nothing else to say. Nothing else to say, sorry. Another brand that I really love of course is Smink the color in general I use for those particular brush. Let me do this so you probably can get better. The palette. Reds and yellow and orange. One of the most beautiful color I use is keen acrid on gold. This is a gold and is this color in particular. I want to show you how is this color and It's a yellow is very, very rich of pigmentation. It's a okra. Is brighter than an cra and is darker than a normal yellow. This is why I particularly love this kind of color, then some orange, of course, and mixing between reds and some brown. I like to use those kind of brown, assuming is this one Cp if I read well and the maroon Perin. This is why because I like to make my red darker with brown if I need to get the brown reddish and I have to keep the brown quite bright and vibrant. For the blue part, I think you know I actually love turquoise color, so So, this is actually the Windsor and Newton. But I found this color on minke as well, so I'm going to finish this cobalt turquoise. Then I will probably switch to hinke. Of course, turquoise from ram and the Prussian blue. The Prussian blue, I think is very important because it's a very dark blue, and you can use the Prussian blue, which is this one. If I am correct. No, sorry is this one because this is yes, which I should switch those two colors. This is paints gray, which is another color I actually use. As you can see, the crushing blue, you can really see by your own how much is vibrant, steel blue. But if you need a very dark blue, you can get to this value of color. Those are pretty the material I used to make this painting, nothing else. Then I think start it's time to switch to go to the real painting. I'm going to show you how I trace and I report the reference image on the paper as well. I've used an app is called Da vinci, but I will show you everything in 1 minute. Go to paint. 3. Transfer Reference Image on Paper: So I want to show you how I trace the reference image on the paper. So you need to have something can hold your phone like this in this way. And then you have to download this app is called Davini. I don't know how much is the cost when I bought it was 40 and absolutely worth it. So open the davici. S, find your reference image, which is this one. I use classic mode. So I'm going to place the paper right underneath where I need it. Then I press move. I'm going to enlarge. See where he is more or less place preference Mg doesn't matter if now is bigger or not. I think this is readable. So I'm going to press again move. And as you can see, as long as you move, you can see what happened The image would be transferred over here. What is the magic of this? Exactly that one. So let's say you want to start to draw some from here. You can click see what is your pencil and what are you doing right here? If you don't see if you want to see better, just move the opacity. Then you can click see better. So this help you to save a lot of time and to be more precise when you draw something. I think there is nothing wrong when you basically project an image on the surface. The only thing you have to pay attention in this way, do not move this anymore. Because if you move this, everything will be gone. So what I do what I usually do is I take off the sheet of paper I need, and then I will fix with some tape, some masking tape on top and bottom, and then I will start to draw. I everything I need. You can zoom, you can move. If you move here, no problem. If you move here, it's a mess. Very easy, very useful. I think this save me hours over hours just to trace just to make the first tracing of the reference image and to transfer the reference image on the final paper. 4. Inking: Well, I have to tell you I miss to show you one important thing. I I start to use the micron pen to trace the main design after I use a pencil. It's not that I regret the decision, but I do not feel very comfortable with the micro pen. The main reason is because they do not have enough ink for some kind of painting. For example, in this specific case, I am going very, very slow, especially on the rough paper like this, using a micropen, let's say 0.1 or 0.2, even 0.5. I don't think is a good solution because you have to go over and over and over to get a good bold line and see if The final paint is going to be all right. I will show you in a minute that I will switch to the Fontaine pen, and I probably hope you will see that the final result will be definitely better. Using a micro pen like this could be good to make some very finest details like, I don't know, you're working on a portrait, for example, on a realistic portrait, and you want to get a very thin in line I don't know on the eyelash, or you want to make the eye very precise. This is a good idea to use a micro pen. But with the fontin pen, like I'm using right now, and that kind of ink, It's a game changer for me because I can be precise as well, especially if you use a small nib. But you can switch to another fontin pen like a medium nib or a big nib. In that case, you're going to get you can drive more faster than usually. Well, As you can see here, I'm using the font pen to make even fine line and even the bold line. I actually like a lot. The final result compared to the micro pen. The only thing you have to make You have to pay attention, you have to focus is to take your time. This is not this is a real time drawing. So this is I'm not going to make the video faster or slower. This is the right time I'm using. And yes, it takes some times. I think I used 1 hour to trace the final result, but the trace the drawing. But the important thing is To take your time because in this particular case, you want to make sure that the design is quite precise, and this would be, of course, a structure, basic structure, the fundamental of the rest of your paint. In this specific paint, easy, s, the most easier thing would be wash the water color afterwards. If you miss something right now, even at the end of the painting, you basically can trash everything. And start from zero because there is no way to recover an inc mistake. So again, again, if I have to talk to make a comparison between the Fontaine pen and the micro pen. I like to tell you probably to use the Fontaine pen, take a little bit more to be confident compared to the micro pen. But I think if you want to try the Fontaine pen, and you understand how to manage that. I think you won't come back. Or maybe you can use both of them. Personal, probably because I start to use the old Nib and ink to make some comics. Something probably I feel more comfy to use Fontaine pen, but this is very personal. This is just a suggestion I can give you because I like more the workflow on the in through the Fontaine Pen compared to the micro pen. Um, as you can see, I'm wearing black glove, a black glove. This is the usual glove you can wear when you are using, I don't know, graphical tablet or when I paint or an iPad. If you do not have that glove, it doesn't matter. You can put something underneath your hand like a tissue or another piece of paper. The reason I I'm using that the glove because I don't want with the side of my hand direct on the painting, I don't want to spread the graphite of the pencil, so I don't want to make a mess. I know I can use an eraser later and clean it everything. Clean up everything, but if I pay attention now, I can save time afterwards. So If you have a glove actually, it is not very expensive, it's a few or a few dollars. If you are in the US, I think you can afford it. It's it's no natural fiber like cotton, so it's synthetic fiber. And well, I I feel confit to use that kind of glove probably because I'm usual to use to wear that glove when I paint on an iPod, but for a very long time, I use another piece of paper underneath of my hand. The most important thing you don't go over and over with the side of your hand to the trays made on pencil because you're going to spread everything. And you probably I'm not going to say you erase some part of the drawing, but you can make some kind of mess. So Yeah. Go ahead and this is this particular point. It's probably the most board one because I would like to cover the design with something and take a brush deep into the blacking and just throw some random in splash around. But in this particular case, I'd like to be more precise. So I'm going to take again my time to make any single splash. Even because this style is between sketches, a little bit of manga, a little bit of digital painting. As I told you, and as you can clearly see from the reference image, I create this image with artificial intelligence through my account in photoshop. This is a paint I made ages ago. It was different, of course. But because I sold it, I liked the idea. So I just think, let me see what happened if I'm going to tell to the AE to generate something different. And after a couple of trying, the IE gave me this image and yeah, this is why I decide to use it and make it real, not just made from a computer doesn't really know me. Well. So sometimes the artificial intelligence can actually help you in some way. While I'm talking, as you can see, I still painting. Again, it probably took me 1 hour to do everything. And I want to be very precise. Usually, I'm not really precise. Usually I do I sketch very fast, and I'm not the kind of person make the well at least signs a few months ago, I was not the person, the kind of artist who make a very fine line, very precise line, but sometimes needed to get a good final result. So I'm going to take my time I'm going to be patient and going to be confident. And this is to build a good final result. So take your time. I'm going to leave you with a little bit of music so you can see the rest of the tracing and just go ahead even because my hand, I can understand is going to cover a lot. Sometimes going to cover what I'm doing. And I try to attach piece of video where you can see better what I'm doing right now. 5. Watercolor Wash (Blue Water): All right is time to watercolor and actually don't worry if you miss the first part of the water underneath the ball because basically, this technique is suitable for all the rest of the painting exactly as I did right now on the screw on the ball. This kind of technique is between wash and glazing. You can do in multiple different ways, but the one I like to do and to show you today is basically, especially in this particular part of the painting, the classical wet on dry, which means As you can see, I'm going to use, I'm using a mop brush because with this kind of brush, I can carry on a lot of water and a good amount of color. So this is why this is very good and suitable to to do this kind of technique. Wet means brush wet on dry means on a dry paper because you can do also a wet on wet technique, which means you're going to wet with the water. You're going to put water on paper, so you're going to make the paper humid or a wet. And then you put the color on top. That particular technique, the wet and wet, I think it's better when you have to mix two different colors, and you want to blend to different color. But in this particular case, I think it's better wet on dry, especially because now I'm doing the first layer of color basically uniform for everything. Now I am drying the brush. And with this kind of brush, because I know it's suitable to carry on a lot of color, I'm going to pick up some color from the paper, which means I'm going to remove some color from the paper. This is one of the reason I suggest you to use a cold press paper because we've done hot press paper. It's very difficult and actually to me, never work. So I'm going to say from my experience, it's basically impossible to pick up the color because when you put the color on the paper, it dry instantly. And this make basically impossible to pick up some color and make some shading and different deep of colors between the variety of blues. Different values of blue. So the first layer I put on paper was a light between turquoise and light blue. Now I'm going to pick up some color and make it lighter. And then I will put some dark color. Dark blue. In particular, I will use I will mixing. Russian blue, tracinon blue is another blue I really like. But we have to be careful to use tracinon blue with turquoise because the tracinon blue is a very, very dark blue, and the risk is you're going to lose the teal tint. So the turquoise tint. If you want to use a very turquoise and teal tint carefully if you're going to use tracking on blue. This is why I didn't show you earlier when I talk about materials, but It's something I like to mention. I prefer mixing a neutral tint is a kind of dark gray and a paints gray with the turquoise because I think it work much much better. Another thing I want to suggest you is when you try to use some color, this is the paints gray actually. When you want try to use some new color, Especially if you use cakes, color in cakes and pants. I suggest you do not pick up the color straight from the cake and go on the paper because you can you cannot control the amount of color your brush is actually holding. The thing I suggest you is to pick up the color, go to the mixing area, mix the color on the mixing area, have a piece of paper like I have on my right, and see what happened before go on the actual painting. So this is what I suggest you to do. Because if you miss something right now, and the amount of color is too much to remove the color now is going to be very very tough and you're not sure you can do that. So it's just a simple it's just a simple little extra step to do and to me this sound very good. This is a pointed brush. I didn't show you early because I tried to use it, but actually, I didn't like so much. Well, this I love this brush. Don't get me wrong. I really love this brush. But for this particular paint, it was not a great idea. So I switched back to to the normal mop brush. I used a few minutes ago. In fact, I think I'm switching immediately right now. Turquoise, dark turquoise. Because remember, you see a kind of light color because it's mixing with water. But the actional color you're going to see in the pan, that could be the real dark value you could get from that color. Play with water and get in use the color dark and light. Actually, you can without adding any other color. I'd like to tell you I stopped to use black on my watercolor painting probably six or seven years ago. I should make a full glass on the black and I'm not going to use it. But the real thing is black and white. Are not real colors. And I'm pretty sure mixing any other color with black, you basically are going to kill the value and the vibrancy of the color. The white is the same thing because you're going to make the color in a pastel way. So the vibrancy and saturation of the color, you are going to drastically be dead if you're going to mix let's say, in this case, a turquoise with black. The worst things if you will mix, for example, the yellow with black. You're not going to get dark yellow. You're going to get a kind of dark military green most of the time. This is why I use a lot of basically all the time. Paints gray or a kind of neutral tint, or I found another very good wonderful color is paints gray, bluish. So is very dark, dark, gray. Paints gray is already a little bit blue, is a kind of photographic blue and I like a lot because it's cold and I like cold color, especially if and when I use the blue tint and the color, the cold color in general. But That specific color paints gray, bluish. This is what I can read on the tube. If I am not wrong, is from Sch. That one is absolutely gorgeous because it's not going to kill the value, the vibrancy and saturation of other colors, but at the same time, I can get very deep And dark color. So the value in the monochrome of blue in this case, could be very in a very large range, and you can play a lot. I try again to use the pointed brush, but I think I'm going to switch if I remember, well, I switch immediately back to the mop brush. I switch back, especially because I can manage the point, but I can't see what happened on the other side of the brush. So because some part of the this painting is covered by my hand, I can't see what happened with the flat brush, of the pointed color. This is very good if you want to make some blending. If you want to make some shadow. If you want to mix two different colors, that's great. This is probably one of the best brush I've used, but in this case, because I need to distribute the color more or less in a flat way because it's the first layer. I remember and I think it's much better to use around mop brush. The one I have, also, it's pointed, so I can be very precise on the edge. Yeah. So Take your time because the first layer of this color is quite important. I I didn't mention another small thing. If you want to leave some part of the water white, you can use a fluid masking fluid watercolor masking. I would like to use here a watercolor masking, but the problem was when I decide to open the tip. The lead, my watercolor masking was completely dry, so basically impossible to use. But it's okay. I don't need some specific white part here. In case I can use. I have a kind of iposca, but with the e, very, very thin, it's pointed, very, very thin, and it's actually an acrylic white. If you put white on other colors, You have to remember two things. First of all, the layer underneath needs to be completely dry. And the second thing is basically, when you put white on top, the white is not completely opaque. So you're going to make a very light light blue, but is not pure white. This is why the fluids fluid water colored mask exists. But as you can see it happen, especially with the cold press paper. You can pick up the color and you can work a little bit even if it is semi dry. I think there is no way actually. I was never able to fix like here in this hedge or pick up the color in the middle of the wave on a hot press paper. See to be precise, I switch to the mop brush. And actually, probably from this point, I will never go back again to use the pointed brush. Took a while to realize. And as you can see, sometime, I also make some experiment and see what is better for this kind of painting or maybe for another painting is better to use another kind of brush. There is no there is no a full entire rule for everything. But when I showed you the material, I go straight to tell you to use this brush because actually you're going to save time. Now, glazing, what I'm doing right now, I put a layer of dark blue on a semi dry paper. Remember, the blue where I working right now is not completely dry. So because it's still semi wet, let's say humid. And the paper is a cold press. I can use the flat part of the brush. Let's say flat part, the side of the brush. Sorry. It's better to say the side of the brush, clean, to make some shade. And in this way, I can blend the second layer of the dark blue with the first layer of the light blue. In this way, I can create I tri dimensionality of the blue of the final result. Also here, as you can see, I'm using two kind of different blue. Underneath. On the side of the bulb, let's say bottom left, the bottom right, is pure teal and pure turquoise. If you see early, I pick up a little bit of green. Here, I'm going to use a kind of pure blue. So basically is a Prussian blue. And I want to create this difference also between the hue and the value of the colors, just to make more dynamic the final result of the painting. The technique is exactly the same. For all the water around here and pretty much will be the same even for the coy carp. I will talk about the coy carp in the next chapter because I'm going to switch to the warm color. So I will use another palette of color. This one, you're going to see on my right. I usually I use this more for my bluish and purples and pinkies and Fuxia teal, something like that. The other one is more for warm color, and especially if I have to make some portrait in the realistic kind of realistic colors. I could buy a full big new palette and can carry on, I don't know, 40, 35, 40, 45, 50 colors. But I don't like too much the idea, just because I think as you can see here is going to be a mess, the mixing area. So if I if I put too many colors on the same palette. The risk is to get everything muddy and brownie. So I prefer to use two different palette and keep my color, let's say clean. At least the mixing area. Keep the mixing area clean. Sometime I think to buy another palette. It's not a big deal to switch. Actually, the other palette, you're going to see on the left of the frame close to my elbow. And as you can see the other palette. Of course, the other palette got some bluish and paints gray and stuff, but I have that color because I need that color just to make some shadow. Let's say I have to do a portrait with realistic colors. The shadow would not be the same value of the light part. So pretty much, the first wave is done and in a second. I'm going to switch to the second wave. I will use exactly the same techniques. So again, a first layer of color very light. If you want to save some part of the weight pure white, I suggest you to use a film fluid film masking made specific for weather color, and then you will remove afterwards when the painting is finished. And then the glazing. The glazing technique, it's technique when you go layer layer, overlayer, overlayer with a very thin layer of colors. You can blend with the layer underneath and you can create this particular shading and blending between the layers. This technique is quite easy. As you can see, there is at least from my point of view, there is nothing difficult because you have enough time to put the right color and to use the brush in the right way when you need it. And in case you make some mistake because it is the cold pressed paper, you can recover quite easy from a point of view. The suggestion again is to pick up the color from the palette. Go to the mixing area. Maybe try the color on the piece of paper close to the real painting. You can see you can actually see what happened when you're going to place the color on the real painting. And I think you will be actually very, very easing this way. Well, in this particular moment, I'm going to try a kind of wet on wet. So as you can see, I'm not going to put color on the top. It's a very light color, so it's not a clean brush. Let's say that. Because I want to see what happened when and if I put some wet color on a wet paper. Even because underneath the carp, I like to have some very dark area so I can create this tri dimensionality. In fact, I think if I remember well now, I'm going to carry on a very good amount of dark color. And I'm going to mix the color before. Now just touching the wet part of the ern and let the color run around the paper. This give you a little bit more time to work on the color because the color is not going to dry instantly. I tried these things this technique, even on the hot press paper. I know I I don't like hot press paper. Let me tell you if you use it, there is no problem at all. It's just my personal preference. I don't like because for my style of painting, the hot press paper is not suitable for me. That's it. I have nothing against the hot press paper. But with a hot press paper, I will not able to do this kind of painting. Probably it's good to make something different, but I bought two albums, always from arches paper, again, 300 GSM, pure cut on the top of quality. The top quality of the paper made from arches, but it's the kind of the paper is made. So hot press I would like to use the hot press paper because sometime I mix airbrush with watercolor, but because of the hot press paper is not rough and is basically flat, is like a normal sheets of paper you put on the copier on your printer, for example, it's very, very flat. I thought in my head, Oh, that could be game changer for me because I like to have some paper really flat so I can use with airbrush and mixing. But after what I say, no, no, no, that's not definitely not for me. In fact, I actually at the moment at my home, I have only rough paper. I like the texture. So again, personal preference, nothing wrong with any kind of paper. Use which one you mostly like. In case, you can try if you never try a hot press paper, you can buy, I don't know a small album, just to try and make some little painting or try some technique. If that work for you, no problem at all. But I think I'm not going to buy personal for me. Again, another hot press paper. If I have to make some painting or I don't know a commission when the client doesn't like The rough paper, I just going to buy any cold press paper normal cold press paper, not rough. The brand I quite like is, of course, arches, H any Mel and Canson. I know there is another brand Italian brand, actually, like me, called the Fabriano Fabriano Artistico. I don't remember if I try it. But because I like the arches paper. By the way, Arches is not see that the mask in fluid. I was doing live painting as well. So I showed to the people was watching the live painting. I show you I showed them why I didn't use the mask filming. By the way, the next one, of course, I bought another mask filming, but this one is not on the tube, like I showed you now, is on the pot, and I'm going to use the normal liner to put the film masking on my painting. Well, I'll let you see the finish of this step because I think you got what happened and see you to the next chapter when we will start to paint I will show you how I painted the i carp with warm colors. A. To the way the bay T of the b. To the face of the way the b. To the face of the y Do the way. Do we bond Do Do the bond. 6. Watercolor Wash (Koi Carp): Right. This is time to paint the main subject. And just pay attention because if you make some mistake now, you basically going to trash everything. I'm telling you because it's not the first time that happened to me and was very, very frustrating. Anyway, I was joking because if you did in the right way, the waves and the water, I actually don't think there could be any other problems or issue with the carp, exactly exactly exactly the same thing. I start to again put a little first layer ba basic layer. Of a flat colors, warm color in this particular case. This color I'm putting on top right now is not black is actually CPA. I like to use sepia, when I have to make some dark warm color. In the same time that I used to use paints gray when I have to make the blues. So Instead to use the black pigment and the black color, which is damage from my point of view, the other colors when mixed when they are mixed with black, I like to use sepia and paints gray instead of black. Sometimes I mix sepia and paints gray together to get a very, very dark color, almost black, but not the pigment is different. I think the main most important point of this discussion is the problem is actually the pigment of the black. Because I think he get from carbon or something. So it's not a color like well, it is a real color, but it's hard to explain. You have to try to mix some of your blues with black and then try to mix your blues with paints gray. You will see the difference straight away. So here I'm exactly doing the same technique and the same thing I did on the waves. First layer, flat red, not everywhere. And then I'm going to with a semi dry brush, semi dry bristol brush. I'm going to make kind of blending and kind of shading. And of the colors, so make it lighter from dark to light. And then I will apply the final dark color. Bright red, and then I'm going to put some oranges and the golden I showed you before is already in the mixing area in some part. So this will help me to make the red a little bit more bright. I really love to use the kind of gold and even the orange. But the gold is better because it's more transparent. Some orange are not completely transparent. You have to check your tube, or you have to make to see your cake, if the color is in the cake. Or the pan, you're going to see a little square. If that square is completely black, which means the color is opaque. So well, with the water color, the colors are not completely opaque, so you Basically every color is transparent. Let me tell you if the little square on the tube is completely black, means you can cover the color underneath. But from my point of view, because this water color is still at least transparent. If you see the square half black and half white, which means is semi transparent and if you see, of course, the square completely, white, which means it totally transparent. Well, as you can see here, I'm going to mix the golden yellow with the red to make some orange straight on the paper. I did that because of the glazing technique. I mean, I can make the orange on the mixing area and then pick up with the brush and then put the orange already ready, let's say this way on the painting. But I didn't find this is very helpful because with the glazing technique, I can exactly what I'm doing right now, I am mixing the yellow and go down basically to nothing. I create a blending between the yellow gold and the red. If I make the orange before on the mixing area, I can make this game right now. On the top of the carp, as you can see, I'm doing the same thing, but I start with the orange color instead of the black. Sorry, the red. Just because that part of the fish, I want to be a little bit different so you can get more dynamic and more different color. The final dynamic range of the painting will be more various and more vibrant. Now I'm cleaning the brush, Sami dry the brush, and then I'm going to pick up the color and extend a little bit just to create the famous glazing technique. Which means make everything very smooth from a strong color to basically nothing. When I say nothing, I'm not talking about completely white, but in this particular case, I'm going to say from red orange to light light light yellow. Basically transparent, but I don't want to leave anything transparent here, especially on the co fish. Because the bulb will be completely white. So Even if we make an ink edge of the carp black, and you can clearly see where is the carp. I prefer to paint every single part of the carp. I will leave something on the head without the color, but you're going to see in a minute why I will do that. So I'm going to make a very bright red. Picking up the yellow to make some orange. Because on the head, I'm going to paint close to the head. And because he's on the top of the painting, I like to imagine the light come from that direction of the carp to make the three dimensionality. And this is the reason why I am going from the dark brown of the tail on the bottom of the coi carp to the light red, light orange, light, golden on the edge of this carp. You're going to see that in the head, I didn't trace everything because some mold, I'd like to leave basically without an outline a black outline. Probably this is the most difficult part of the car make the head. In this at the moment, I do little scale. I hope it's called scale in case, sorry about my English. And again, the technique is always the same. This is because I want to make a dynamic range different on some part of the cart. As I see on the original reference image. So the cart is not completely read. The range of color, let's say in the color wheel, of course, is warm. And here, I think it's better to use yellow. As you can clearly see, I didn't come back to use the pointed brush as I did at the beginning on the wave and on the water because This kind of brush is definitely more precise than the other one. And I have a tissue on my other arm because you probably don't see what happened, but when I deep the brush into the water, I semi dry the brush. And as you can see here, I'm picking up the color to make a blending, again, a shading, again, a good transition between full color and transparency. And which means because I'm picking up color and water, I need to use the brush, semi dry Semi dry because I can still have the point of the brush, but this is not completely dry, even because use brush completely dry is basically impossible. If you have to pick up the color, you have to kind of reactivate the color, and then with a good brush, pick up the excess of the color. This is the moment when I start to make some red mold on the on the i carp, and this is not dros. This is completely free hand. Little tip. You can help yourself, if you're not confident to do something like that, with a light trace with the pencil. But there is a big butt. If you go over with the pencil with the water color, you're not going to able to erase the pencil trace. So you will still see the pencil through the color. So careful, use maybe really rough and strong pencil like 3h4h, if you want. Or you can use a classical pencilH b2b or something like that. Then before put the color on top, you will erase most of the part of the trace. Leave the trace enough to see it, but not enough. To be able to see afterwards and after you put the color and the water on top because you're going to kind of activate the paper and the graphite will be absorbed in the paper, and this is not going to help you at all to erase afterwards. So just keep that in mind. At this point, because it's free end, I think it's easier to make something. You don't have to be precise. This is just something you can do quite easy, and this is totally free end. Same technique here as well. So put the layer on top of flat color and then pick up the excess of the color just to make some three dimensionality. The thing I'm not going to do in here it puts some dark color on top. That thing put some dark color on top would be the next step. Let's say on the back on the top of the body of the fish. And would be with a CPA and brown reddish CPM brown. Just to make some three dimensionality and some shadow between the body and the top. Well, this is the last mark three end on the carp. I decide to follow more or less the rest of the other marks, but I think it easy anyway. Oh, another thing, you do not have to keep your your piece of paper straight and glue on you can move. So you can adjust rotate the paper to make you com comfortable as much as possible to paint. Because made some lines in the reverse way is not easy to me. So I prefer to move. The paper and be able to create something suitable for the painting. As you can see here, to pick up the color, if you do immediately, you can remove at least 50% of the color. This create from my point of view, a very good shading, so And I'm going to tell you again this is possible with a cold press paper. I know I'm going to laugh, but I tried many times to use the hot press paper, but I was not able to do this. So I definitely totally switch to this kind of paper. Well, the fish is more or less done. So I think I will jump now on the last part of the painting, just to show you how I make how I made the shadow on the body of the fish. Nothing out of the word, still the same technique for basically for everything. But I'll tell you when I switch now so you can see better what I'm going to tell you. So now I'm picking up some CPA, pure CPA, and I'm going to paint straight on the dark part. Even the orange yellow part and on the reddish part as well. It doesn't actually really matter because as I told you before, CPA work really good with warm colors. So the CPA will work perfectly with any kind of red, brown, red, orange or yellow, as you can see here. Again, technique always the same, a little bit of color, pure color, and then with the semi dry brush. Just pick up the excess of the color. Now I'm making the CPR more reddish because I go back on the body of the i carp. Make sure, please make sure now that the body is almost. Do not put this dark color on the body if the body still semi dry as a semi wet or wet because if You can't miss now, this is not the time to make a mistake. Careful, M case, use a air dryer to be sure the paper is completely dry and put some dark color now on the body, but again, make sure it is dry. Because if this dark color will spread all around the body is going to make brownydy, bad mistake. Same thing. Layer of color and then pick up the excess. With a semi dry bristol, keep your tissue or whatever you like to use to dry the brush a sponge or kitchen roll or something similar to your brush. Basically semi dry and clean. When I'm talking about semi dry, it means also clean because of course, if you are going to pick up the color with the dirty brush, you're not pick picking up the color, you're going to put more color on the painting, and this is not the case. You have to remove some excess of color. Be patient. Take your time. No one is going to have a kind of timer behind you and say, hurry up. Well, this is quite important. Do you remember earlier I told you I used this palette when I have to make, let's say, realistic portrait. In this particular case, in this particular moment, I'm making some shadow underneath the body of the coy, as you can see. Because that part of the coy fish is white. I'm going to leave basically, let's say white. I can't use a warm color because I'm going to make some very bad mixing or mistake. I'm going to create a separation and this is why I'm using a paints the normal paints gray, so not the bluish paints gray because I don't want to make the bottom of the i carp to bluish, but because the paints gray is already bluish, I'm going to use that. Basically is a neutral tint with a slight tonality of blue. Also because the reflection of the water on the body of the carp is blue. So feel free to use a normal neutral tint like a normal gray. But I think it's better in this case because you're going to match a little bit, the color of the water using a paints gray. Again, same technique, glazing technique. Layer of color, be very light because remember, the body needs to be white. Did you see what I did right now? I pick up the color and I was going to go straight away on the paper, but I just stopped myself. Even if this particular point needs to be quite dark, but I stopped myself because I cannot manage or I can't understand the real amount of the color I'm going to pick up with the brush. So i deep the brush on the water, pick up the color. Work on the mixing area. Try in case on the piece of paper on my right, on the left of the video. If the color wri for you it is right for you, just go back and put it on the main painting on your real painting, and you can't miss anything. You can make any mistake because you know what you're doing, or what you're going to do. And from my point of view, this little amount of gray paints gray, bluish gray. It's really good because can create a tree dimensionality and a dynamic range extended on the body of the fish. Can you see here? I just see on the fish. There is no a very smooth transition. And again, because this is cold press with a semi dry brush, as you can see, is just so, I fix the point. And I fix the thing. Some splshy blue, dark blue, light blue, turquoise, anything. Just to match the rest of the painting and take again, the fountain pen at the end or anything, just put the sign, and the painting will be done. My last tip or my last suggestion, if the painting is going to be okay, and if you're happy of what are you doing, do not overwork your painting. Say stop at same point when you think it's good. Maybe go to get a coffee, go out to get a walk, and go to sleep, whatever, or wait one day or two day, and then go back and check your painting after a little bit of time. Or Basically, you have to touch your mind of what are you doing right now and then go back. If you think it's okay, just put the sign on top. Photograph it, sell it, put it online, whatever. Do Do not overwork on a painting because that is the best bad moment you can get. If you're going to ruin now the painting, I think you're going to be very, very upset. Thank you again for to watch all of this. Sorry again, for my English. I hope you enjoy the painting. I will show you in the next Chapter the final result, close to you so you can see better the final result and see you next time. 7. Greetings: So I really hope you enjoy all the workflow and everything I show you. If I miss something, if you didn't understand any point, or you want get more information, feel free to contact me because I'm here to help you, and I'm really happy to help you as much as I can. So again, this painting is a style I really like to do, but if you like me to do something you want me to do, please feel free to ask me. And if it's my style, and if I can do that, I will be really happy to make a painting you asked me to do. It's a kind of comision fake commission online call whatever you want. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy to paint with me and my workflow and how I realize this painting. Again, show me what you did, what you do, what you will do. And if you need help, I'm really happy to contact me any time. I'm in Italy or around the world, but now with the connection, I think that the distance is not a very big problem. See you next time. Thank you again, Neil Dine Chao and don't stop to be creative here.