Transcripts
1. Introduction: Hello and welcome to the
cozy winter tutorial. Today we'll be painting
a charming chickadee perched on a twig with
bright red berries. The scene will be beautifully
accented with white snow dusting the twigs and gently
falling in the background. If you're watching this
during the winter season, I hope this painting brings
you a sense of warmth, even though it's inspired
by the coolness of winter. Love how winter scenes can
evoke a feeling of coziness, so I've chosen a warm, analogous color scheme to help create that
inviting atmosphere. In this tutorial, we'll
practice painting a soft, wet on wet background, which will provide
a lovely backdrop for our main subject. I'll show you how to
paint the berries, twigs covered with snow, and I'll guide you through
painting the bird itself. It's easier than it looks. As a finishing touch, we will add some
falling snowflakes to bring even more winter
magic into the scene. We will go through
everything step by step, and I will be here to guide you through each
part of the process. I believe this painting
is quite approachable, and I'm confident that
even if you're a beginner, you'll be able to
follow along with ease. Feel free to follow
my steps closely or adapt the painting to add
your own personal style. This painting is a calming, enjoyable experience, and it shouldn't take you
too long to complete. Could also make a lovely
Christmas card if you're looking for a unique
and heartwarming idea. I hope you're feeling
inspired and ready to paint. So gather your supplies, and let's dive into this magical winter journey
together. Happy painting.
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 a PDF 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
suits your needs. My painting is in a 12
by nine inch format. Additionally, there are
working progress photos to help you follow the process
and focus on specific areas. Feel free to explore
these materials and use them to create your own unique and beautiful painting. 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. Painting Plan: I like to break every painting
down into sections and create a plan so I know exactly
what to do at each stage. Having a clear plan always
gives me peace of mind, knowing that I can follow a step by step approach to
complete the painting. It also brings a sense of accomplishment as I finish
each step along the way. For this painting, I spend
some time thinking about the best approach and whether I would need to mask
any areas or not. Before I start painting, I always consider if there are any sections I
should mask off. Initially, I didn't want to use masking fluid because the
background is fairly light. Even if I accidentally paint over the
berries or the bird, I figured I could easily cover those areas later
with dark paint. But the snow on the twigs
was a bit challenging. I didn't want to use white guash to paint the snow
on the twigs and on the berries because
it would be too overpowering and it
wouldn't look quite right. So after some thought, I decided it would be best
to mask out certain areas. I'll explain more about
that in the next part. For now, I'd like to share the order in which we will
tackle this painting. We'll begin with the
background setting the stage with soft
washes of color. Next, we'll paint the twigs, establishing the darkest tones. After that, we'll
focus on the berries, which I'll guide you through
in three very simple steps. Once the berries are done, we will move on to painting
the shadows in the snow. Then we will paint
the bird itself, which we will break down into
manageable steps as well. And finally, we will
use white guash to add finishing touches to the
bird and create a beautiful, snowy effect in the air. So now let's move on
to the masking stage.
4. Masking: I've already transferred my
pencil sketch onto the paper. The paper is straight from
the block. It's not pre wet. I've stapled it to
my Gaitor board on all four sides and I used masking tape around the edges to create a clean border for
the finished painting. Before I begin masking, I like to lighten my sketch
a bit with a kneaded eraser. This eraser is very
flexible and you can form it into a roll and gently roll it over
the sketch like this. This helps to remove excess graphite and
lighten the lines. You can also dab the
eraser on specific areas. I especially want to
lighten the lines where the snow will
be on the twigs, since these areas
will remain white. So it would be nice if the pencil lines here were not so prominent
in those areas. Now for the masking, I'll be using Windsor Newton masking fluid with
a yellow tinge. I also need an old cap. This one has a lot of dried layers of
masking fluid on it, so I think it's time
to clean it up. This cap is from
an old battle of masking fluid that
I've had for a while. We also need a piece of soap. I keep it in the small
container for easy access. Lastly, a brush dedicated just for applying masking fluid. Never use your good
brushes for this as masking fluid can
damage them easily. And of course, we
will need water. Start by gently rolling the masking fluid bottle and then pour a small
amount into the cup. Wet the brush and rub it gently on the soap to create
a protective layer. This will help prevent the masking fluid from
sticking to the bristles. Once the brush is ready, dip it into the masking
fluid and start applying it to the areas
we want to protect. I quickly realized that
my brush was a bit too worn out and the bristles
were behaving unpredictably. This makes it hard to apply
the masking precisely, so I'm going to switch to a different brush for this part. Will mask the snow on the twigs, the berries, and the bird. The snow needs to stay white, and there is nothing whiter
than the paper itself. Even though the paper
has a creamy tone, the surrounding
colors will trick our eyes into seeing
it as pure white. Masking the berries will
help keep them clean and vibrant without any
background color affecting the red hue. And masking the snow and berries also means that we
won't have to worry about painting around
them carefully while working on the At first, I didn't intend
to mask the bird, but I decided it would give us peace of mind when
painting the background. Since the bird is a small shape, masking the edges will
be quick and easy. A little tip here,
as you can see, I'm not masking
every tiny feather, especially around
the head and beak. I'm not applying the masking exactly along the
pencil lines either, especially on the beak. The reason is that even
if we accidentally paint over these areas with the
lighter background colors, we can always paint
the darker details back over the lighter background without affecting the result. Continue applying
the masking fluid. This illustration shows exactly
where I have applied it, and you can find it in
the class resources. Notice that I didn't
mask the twigs, as they are small
and dark and this can be painted directly over the background
without issue. Once you've finished
applying the masking fluid, let it dry completely before we move on to painting
the background.
5. Background: Now that the masking
fluid is completely dry, we can begin painting
the background. This step will be
done in one layer, so it should be
relatively simple. I'll be using a size
12 brush for this, and we will work with the
wet on wet technique, which means we will first need
to apply a layer of water. Have an old 1 " flat
brush that I recently started using for applying
water to larger areas, but feel free to use whatever
brush works best for you. Before we start painting, let's first prepare the colors we will need for the background. I'll begin by mixing burnt sienna with a
touch of warm yellow, indian yellow in my case, and this will create our warm brown mix,
yellowish brown mix. Next, let's mix warm yellow with windsor red
and burnt sienna. This will give us a beautiful reddish brown or ginger color. I will also add a bit
more windsor red on the right side because I can see some red tones
in the background. In the upper right
area in our reference, I notice a grayish,
beige, muted purple. To achieve this unusual color, we will mix burnt sienna with ultramarine blue
as our gray base. And now by adding a
touch of Windsor red, we will warm the color up. Adjusting the
amounts of blue and red will give us a very
muted grayish purple. At the bottom of my palette, I will also keep a
clean ultramarine blue. So these are the four
main color mixes we'll be using for
the background. Now let's begin by wetting
the entire background. I'm using a large flat brush, but feel free to use whatever brush you're
comfortable with. A large brush will help cover
this area more quickly. Be sure to spread the water
evenly across the paper. And if you see any paddles, gently move the water
around to distribute it. We want the surface to have
a nice, even glistening sin. If you live in a
very hot climate, you may need to apply another layer of water once
this one has been absorbed. Check the surface
of your paper from an angle to ensure that
there are no dry spots. If you notice any gently, spread the water
across those areas. Also, wipe away any
droplets that might have gathered on the masking tape
to avoid unwanted smudging. Now that the surface
is properly prepared, we can begin
applying the colors. Take your time and don't
rush through this stage. For the first color, begin with the yellowish brown
in the upper left corner. I'm using a size
12 brush for this. The paint consistency should
be like a milky wash, not too strong, more on
the light to medium size. I'm being cautious not to apply too dark of
a color at first. However, if an area looks good, I may go in with a bit
more pigment to deepen it. Remember, the colors will
dry about 20% paler, so don't be afraid to apply a stronger mix where needed to maintain good tunnel values. As I'm painting,
I realized that I missed masking a
snowfall at the bottom, but it's not a big deal. It won't significantly
affect the painting. When painting behind the
bird use darker tones, especially on the left side, where the bird's
feathers are light. This will create a
strong contrast between the light bird and
darker background. For the areas above the bird and on the right side,
use lighter colors. These lighter tones in the
background will complement the dark feathers of the bird and help maintain the
depth of the composition. Additionally, leaving some areas unpainted will create
natural light spots, which add a subtle, almost white highlight that enhances the softness
of the background. In the upper right, I'm using this strange purple gray color, which pairs beautifully
with the yellowish tones. It creates a warm, balanced feel when combined
with the other colors. While painting,
don't forget to tilt your board in
different directions. This allows the paint to move naturally on the paper
with the help of gravity. The brush should simply
deliver the paint. Let the water and
gravity guide the flow. This technique ensures smooth transitions
between the colors. Be mindful not to overwork
the area with the brush, as too much
manipulation can create unwanted brush
strokes that might disrupt the natural
blending of the colors. On the right side, there
is a variety of colors, including the ashy purple, a bit of ultramarine bloom, red in the corner, and yellowish brown
behind the twig. You don't need to match
everything exactly, but use the reference as a guide for where to
place certain colors. We can always interpret
the scene loosely, allowing the colors to
work together organically. I decided to darken the
upper right corner, so I'm mixing ultramarine blue, winds are red, and
burnt sienna again. And this mix will ensure the area stays a bit
darker when it dries, giving more contrast and depth. Since we've masked off the areas that need
to remain untouched, we can paint the entire
background freely without worrying about painting
around any specific details. This also helps us avoid
the stained glass effect, which happens when areas
are too clearly defined, creating unnatural
divisions between the background and the subject. This effect can make the
background look more like separate patches rather than a seamless blended space. The key is to think
of the background as one continuous area with the subject merely placed
in the front of it, not dividing it into
separate sections. Let me explain what
I mean by that. Painting a background with elements in front
of it, like a twig, try to think of the background
as one continuous area, not separated by the
subject in front. This means that the colors
should flow and blend naturally whether there is
a twig or not in the way. A common mistake which I
also sometimes fall into is treating the
background as divided into distinct sections
around the subject. For example, if a
twig is in front, might accidentally
create boundaries that cut the background
into separate color blocks. This doesn't look quite natural
because without the twig, if we remove the twig
from this picture, the background doesn't
look seamless. The background is divided into those separate patches of color. That's why it's important to think of the
background as a whole. The subject should not divide it into separate color areas. Instead, it should sit within the large unified background allowing the colors to
transition smoothly. Think we can agree that the
illustration on the right, where the colors
flow naturally in the background looks better
than the one on the left, where the twig divides the
background unnaturally. While the background
is still wet, you can still manipulate it. For example, I like to drop water droplets to
create some texture. But here eventually I
decided to darken this area. I used a mix of burnt sienna, Windsor red, and Indian yellow. Deepen that reddish
brown tone and let it settle naturally
into the wet surface. Remember that paint
on wet paper spreads, and it will spread
even more as it dries. If you want to
leave lighter spots like almost white areas, be sure to apply the paint a bit further away from
the desired area. This gives you room to spread and maintain those light spots. If you apply the
paint too close, it may spread too much and cover the light areas
losing that effect. I also added a bit more
ultramarine blue at the bottom of the background
to deepen that section. Once you're satisfied, leave
the paper to dry completely. Wait until the shin
is gone before you use a hair dryer to
speed up the process. Since we are not layering more paint on top
of the background, we can quickly dry everything and move
on to the next step.
6. Twigs: The background is
now completely dry, and you can see the
nice granulating effect from the ultramarine blue. Now it's time to move on to
the twigs so we can carefully remove the masking fluid since it won't be
necessary anymore. For this step, I recommend using a rubber masking pickup tool, which is inexpensive, durable, and easy to use. I've had it for
several years now. You can also use your fingers, but I prefer this tool
for a clean removal. For painting the twigs, I will be using a
size four brush. We'll need some browns
for this stage, so I'm starting with
burnt sienna as a base brown to
establish the shapes. However, because the twigs
need to be very dark, I won't be using much of that
burnt sienna on its own. Instead, I will mix burnt sienna with paints gray to
create a very dark brown, which is almost black, and that's what I will
use to darken the twigs. Start by lightly
painting the shapes of the twigs with
the burnt sienna and then dropping the dark mix of burn sienna and paints
gray for depth and shadow. Burn sienna adds a little
variety to the color, but since the twigs
are very small, the dark mix will be
the most important to give them the right tone and contrast against
the background. Take your time
with this step and focus on painting
the twigs precisely. Are small elements, so attention
to detail is important. When painting, remember
that snow covers the twigs, so make sure to create
a straight line on one side of the twig
where it's exposed, while on the other side, the snow will create
a more wavy shape. This helps to enhance the realism of the snow
covering the twigs. Leave some gaps
in the snow areas to make the illusion of
the snow more convincing. This helps the twigs
appear partially hidden, which adds depth and dimension. Painting the twigs is a
straightforward process. We don't need to add too many
details like bark texture, for example, focus on the general shape and
the dark brown color. The dark brown mix will work well to capture the
twigs appearance. If you want to adjust the shade, you can also add winds
or red to the mix, which will shift the color to a deeper maroon
tone, dark brown. This addition will also make
the color a bit more opaque, making it easier to maintain
a consistent dark tone. So Once you've finished painting all the twigs, give them a few minutes to dry or use a hair dryer to
speed up the process. Once dry, we can move
on to the next step, which is applying the first
layer to the berries.
7. Berries - First Layer: We will divide painting the berries into
three easy steps. In the first step, we're going to apply the first
layer to all the berries. Start by preparing
two color mixes. The first one with windsor red, and the second one
with permanent rose. Next, add Indian yellow to the winds red to warm up
the color temperature. I'll be using a size four brush. The process is very simple. Paint each berry with
both of these mixes. On some berries, you may notice more pinkish
reflected light. And for those areas, use permanent rows,
and for the rest, fill it with the red mix. This will serve as
the base layer. In the second layer, we will add details
and deepen the color. For now, just apply the
pink and red on each berry. We'll be using the wet on dry technique because the
areas are very small, making it easy to
cover them quickly and create smooth transitions
between the red and pink. Some berries may
be entirely red, so there is no need
to use pink on those. If the berries are
touching each other, you may want to skip one and paint the one that's
further apart. However, in this case, it's fine to paint
them all at once. The colours are
similar enough that even if they blend a
little between berries, it will still look good. As you can see, this is
another very easy step. There is nothing difficult here, and if you're a beginner, it's a great opportunity
to practice your brush work with dry technique and
color mixing on the paper. Once you've applied the first layer, use a hair dryer
to dry everything. Then wait a few minutes for the paper to cool down a bit and return to room temperature before moving on
to the next step.
8. Berries - Second Layer: And the first layer is now completely dry so we
can apply the second layer. And for this part, I'll be
using size four brush again. For this step, we'll also need our red mix as well
as a shadow color. And to create the shadow color, start with Windsor
red as the base, and then add a neutral
darkening mixture made from burnt sienna
and pains gray. So our dark red is a
combination of Windsor red, burnt sienna, and pains gray. No Start by picking up Windsor red and
apply it so that you create a hard edge between
the red and the pink. This will help to create the
illusion of reflected light. Next, pick up the
dark red mixture and apply the shadow color on the right side of
the berry under the snow and you can also define the edge of
the berry a bit more. A Repeat the process for each berry, begin with Windsor red and
create a hard edge between this color and the pink if there is any
pink on the berry. Then drop in some shadow
with the darker red. Some berries may have a more complex reflected
light pattern like this one, but the approach is the same. We want those hard edges because they will convey the
illusion of a shiny surface. If you want to adjust the color
temperature of the berry, feel free to add
more warm yellow. Adding more Indian yellow
will warm up the red colour. Be careful, though
with the dark mix. It's quite strong and we don't want to
use too much of it. The goal is to maintain
the red tone of the berry, so avoid letting the dark red take over the nice red color. Some of the shadows
will be larger, but try not to overdo
it with the dark color. The dark red will also help
us separate the berries. Some of them are
positioned behind others, so the ones in the back will
naturally be in more shadow. We can apply a bit more dark red to push those berries
further back. I'm painting quite precisely, but feel free to
incorporate your own style. If you prefer to paint more loosely, that's absolutely fine. These are simple
shapes and we can approach them in 1
million different ways. I'm just showing
you how I would do this in this case,
in this style. But if we were painting
in a looser style, I wouldn't be as precise. So continue painting each berry. As you can see, I'm repeating the same
process on each one. The only difference
is the shape of the pink reflected light I'm creating and the
placement of the shadow. This is how it looks
after this layer. You can pose the video here and try to recreate this
look in your painting. Once you're done,
dry everything, and in the next
very short section, we will add those tiny
little dark details. Oh
9. Berries - Calyxes: The berries are dry, and now we are ready to paint
those tiny dark shapes. I wasn't sure what they
are called in my language, let alone in English. So I did a little research, and it turns out they are called calixs or
something like that. So we'll be painting
calixes now. For this, we will need black. So let's mix burn
sienna and paints gray. It should only take you 5 minutes or even
less to paint them. I'm aiming to create irregular shapes which
remind me of star. Depending on the
direction of the berry, we might see it from the side or we might
see it from the bottom. If we see the side, we will paint a tiny crown
shape or just a small spot. If the berry is
turned more towards us and we're looking
at the bottom, we will paint more
of that star shape. It's all very easy, but these small details will help bring the
berries to life. And with that, the
berries are finished. Now, dry everything with a hair dryer and in
the next section, also very simple, we will
add shadows to the snow.
10. Snow Shadows: The snow on the twigs
looks really nice, but it's just white space
and it lacks some dimension. So in this step, we will add a light shadow to
create more depth. Before I begin, I like to
use a regular eraser to remove as much of the pencil sketch as possible
from the snow areas. I'm not sure if it makes any difference since I had a
fairly light pencil sketch, but I feel better
now that it's done. For the shadows, we will use a very light mix of ultramarine
blue and burnt sienna. Make sure to dilute it well so that the color stays
light and not too dark. This mix creates a neutral gray, which we can shift toward blue or brown depending on our needs. Let's start with
this neutral gray. I'll paint the shadow
at the bottom of each snow fold
close to the twig. It's very light, but I think it adds a bit more
dimension to the snow. If a little bit of
color from the berry or twig blends into the snow,
that's perfectly fine. The snow reflects light
from the surroundings, so there may be some
red in it or brown. To make it even more realistic, you can leave a
small unpainted gap at the bottom of the snow fault, and this represents
reflected light, which helps create
a rounded form. If you like, you can leave some white gaps near the bottom
edge, but it's optional. In some areas like the
bottom left corner, there are a few snow folds
stacked one behind the other. In this case, make sure to paint the shadow
on the back fold, which will also define the
shape of the fold in front. B if you're following my
painting or the reference photo, you'll spot those areas. Also, try to vary the
color of the shadow. Use more blue in some places, more brown in others, and near the berries, you can even pull some of the
red color into the shadow. This variation will introduce more interest and create
a more natural effect. The top parts of the
snowfalls will remain unpainted with a white paper making those areas
the brightest. When you're finished,
dry everything, and we will move on to applying the first
layer on the bird.
11. Bird - Initial Layer: Everything is nice and dry so we can move on to
painting the bird. We'll divide this process
into four stages. In this stage, we will apply the initial color
to the entire bird. Initially, I planned to use the colors that I already
have on my palette, but for the sake of
clarity in this tutorial, I will clean the left side of my palette and mix fresh colors. We will need a mix of burnt
sienna and Indian yellow. On the right side, I will also
add a bit of Windsor red, and on the left side of the mix, I will add more Indian yellow. So we have these three
colors to work with. Additionally, a light
gray may come in handy, so I will mix ultramarine blue with a touch
of burnt sienna. I'll be using a size eight
brush for this stage. We'll be painting using
the wet on dry technique. So make sure the paint
consistency is watery. Now, here's my approach. The bird has sunlight
reflected on the left side. Even though the feathers
are technically black, the sunlight turns them
into yellows and oranges. However, the feathers
still appear mostly black. In this initial layer, we will apply those warm
colors to the feathers and use more gray on the head
to suggest that warm light. In addition to that, we can start building the
colors on the belly. There is more red in the middle, which transitions into yellow and finally white on the edges. Close to the neck, the
colors are more neutral, so I will use more
gray in that area. We can also suggest a
shadow under the wing. Notice that the colors I'm using now are quite light in value. This is because it's
just an initial layer. I want to establish
a roadmap of colors. Later, we will add more layers
to deepen those colors. Right now, with the light tones, I'm just testing whether the colors will
work well together. Also notice that I'm softening all edges except where
we need a hard edge, like under the wing. In other areas, the colors
transition smoothly. Make sure to lift out some
paint from the edges of the belly to maintain
that almost white color. In the final layer, we will also add a bit of white guash, but try to keep that area
as light as possible. H that's it for this part. We've laid down a nice base, and in the next layers, we'll focus on deepening the colors to achieve the
correct tunnel values. If you compare my painting
to the reference, you'll notice that the colors in my painting are a bit
stronger and deeper. In the reference,
they are more muted. That's just my
personal preference and a bit of artistic license. I felt that since the
bird is the main subject, it should stand out more. I wanted to match the tonal
values with the berries, and I think more saturated
deeper colors work well. But of course, if you prefer, you can use more muted colors to match the reference
more precisely. Now, let's dry this first layer, and in the next part, we will work on the darks.
12. Bird - Black Feathers: Our little friend is now completely dry so we can start working on
the dark feathers. For this, we will use a surprising mix of burnt
sienna and pains gray. I'll be using size six
brush for this part. First, let's pick
up burnt sienna and mix it with a touch
of or black color. Start applying the brown
color to the head, focusing on the left side, which is warmer
from the sunlight. Then gradually transition
to the black color. At this stage, notice that I'm also creating the
feathery texture. Using short brush strokes, I'm creating a feathery
edge on the head and a feathery border between this dark color and the
white feathers below. I'm painting around
the eye for now. I will leave the eye for later. On the beak, I'm starting with a very light tone to
establish the shape properly. If I make a mistake, it will be easier to lift
off the slight tone, and I can darken it
later if needed. I'm also using short
quick brush strokes to paint the feathers near the
beak and below on the neck. The underside of
the beak is darker, so I'm using the dark
color straightaway, but I'm not painting
the edge just yet. I will add more brown
there later and also leave a small gap between the upper and lower
parts of the beak. Now I'll continue applying the black color to the
other dark feathers, making sure I use brush strokes
in the correct direction. The brush strokes should follow the natural direction
of the feathers. M Here I'm transitioning to more yellow brown tones and deepening the
color in this area. I'll also drop in
some darker tones. Notice that I'm not trying to paint every single
feather precisely. Instead, I'm just applying the basic colors that I
can see in those areas. I will, however, try to paint the long lines representing the longest feathers
on the wings. We can spend a few
minutes on this as this is a very
characteristic area. Painting these
lines as precisely as we can will really
enhance the painting. You don't have to
match the exact number of lines or be overly precise, but we want to achieve
a similar look. We can also define the individual smaller
lighter feathers here by outlining their
shape with a dark brown. The long feathers on the tail need some
attention as well. Take your time to
create a few of these dark long lines to
represent the tail feathers. Now, apply the black to the leg. I have to admit that I don't particularly enjoy
painting bird legs, especially at such
a small scale, as there are so
many details that are difficult to
recreate in this size. So I either like to hide the legs behind something
like in this case, where I placed a snowfall
on the right leg. I paint them in the simplest way possible just to
do this quickly, adding a few dark lines and then filling the rest
with lighter colors. Maybe I should pay more
attention to the legs, but I think that other elements in the painting will
draw more attention, so there is no need to
focus too much on them. I would probably spend
more time and paint them very precisely if the painting
size was much bigger, but on this scale,
it's just unnecessary. Now I will use ultramarine blue to paint the upper part of the beak and later I will add more burnt
sienna to the lower part. Finally, it's time for the eye. I will start with ultramarine blue to
establish the shapes, and then I will use black. Eyes are always very important. So we want to be
really precise here, which is also really difficult because it's
such a tiny area. Normally I would get close
to the paper to paint it, but since I have my camera
just next to my head, I can't see exactly
what I'm doing. So I'm painting very slowly. There is nothing unusual here. We just need to create
the shapes carefully. The general idea is that we have a dark spot
in the center, a white ring around it, followed by a black ring. Then another white ring, and finally, the feathers. Additionally, remember to
paint around the highlight. But if you accidentally paint over the highlight, don't worry. You can always use white gouache to add the
tiny white dot at the end. Now this little fellow is
observing you closely, wondering if you're going
to darken his feathers. So let's meet his
expectations and deepen the dark tones on the
feathers in the next part.
13. Bird - Deepening Darks: Here on the left,
you can see how the bird looks at this
stage and on the right, how it will look when
we finish this part. We'll be adding more black
feathers around the eye, some gray feathers
on the white areas, and a bit more color to the
long feathers on the wings. Are small adjustments that
will enhance the painting. Let's start with our dark mix of unexpected burnt sienna
and paints gray. Use short brush strokes, paint more dark feathers
around the eye. It's important to follow the
direction of the feathers. We don't need to paint
every feather precisely. Instead, we want to create
a feathery texture. After applying the
short brush strokes, pick up more brown and
add it to the head area. This will soften some of the darker brush
strokes and create a smoother transition
between black and brown while maintaining the
delicate feathery texture. Darken the wing the same way, apply black brush strokes first, and then transition to
brown and brownish yellow. Now, pick up a light
gray color made from ultramarine blue and burnt
CNA and using the light gray, add more brush strokes
to the white areas. These feathers appear
white but have some shadows and the gray represents those subtle shadows. Next, move on to the long
feathers on the wings and tail. You may want to darken some
of the black lines if needed. I had to darken some
of them on the tail. But more importantly, we want to address the white lines
between the dark lines. The pure white isn't
necessarily here, so we can add some
color to those areas, leaving only the most
prominent lighter lines unpainted or with a very
light wash of color. Apply also ultramarine
blue to the leg. I decided to add more gray to the white
lines on the wing, but I will leave a few almost white to suggest the
strongest highlights. And that's all for this part. In the next section, we'll focus only
on the belly. O.
14. Bird - Belly: Now that the dark
feathers are painted, we can see a very high contrast between the dark feathers
and the lighter belly. It's also more obvious now that the color of the
belly is too pale, so it needs more saturation, more color, and darker tones. For the belly, I'll be using the same colors from the
initial layer, burnt sienna, Windsor red, and Indian yellow, and additionally a gray mix of ultramarine blue
and burnt sienna. Let's begin with an orange mix of Indian yellow
and Windsor red. We'll be painting wet and dry, so be mindful of the
edges of your paint. Don't leave them too long, or they will dry and
create a hard edge. I'm applying
stronger colors now, and I think I like this effect. I'm creating this deeper color works very well
with the black feathers. Close to the neck, I
will use more gray or brown and softened color
towards the edge of the belly. I'm also trying to
lift off paint from the edge of the belly to
keep it almost white. Under the wing, we
need to add a shadow. I will use burnt sienna and a touch of black to darken it. Adding this shadow will give more dimension and
realism to the bird. On the right side, I want to use a strong mix of Windsor
red and Indian yellow. At this stage, I will dry
this layer and see how it looks once it's dry because it will lose
some saturation. And as expected, the color became a bit paler,
which is fine. We can always apply
another layer. We will want to maintain
a feathery texture, so we will apply one
more final layer. But before I do that, I
will use a scrubber brush, which is Windsor Newton's
galeria brush size four to smooth out the
edges of the belly. There is a darker line created by the color
of the background, and I want to soften
that hard line. I can do this by rubbing the damp scrubber
brush back and forth and then dabbing that area with a paper towel
to remove the paint. This creates a nice soft edge. Now we're ready for the
almost final touch. I'll pick up an orange mix of Indian yellow
and Windsor red, and this time, I will use shorter individual brush strokes to create the feathery texture. Behind the snow fold, I will use a gray color to
paint the shadow on the belly. I'll apply a stronger
red color in the middle and paint
deeper red feathers. Since the surface is partially
wet and partially dry, some of the lines will
have sharp edges, while in other areas, we will get smoother edges. And that's exactly what we want. Again, notice that I'm creating an impression of
feathery texture. I'm not focusing on each individual feather because
that would take too long. Besides, it's a painting, and we want it to
look like a painting. This impression is enough to create a convincing
look for the bird. Okay, we're almost done. In the last part, we will
use white guash to add the final touches. Okay.
15. Using White Gouache: The painting at this stage
could be considered finished, and if you're happy with it, you can stop here. However, if you still
have some patients, we can add an extra touch that will enhance the
winter atmosphere. For this step, we will
need white guash. I'm using Windsor
Newton Designers guash. It's permanent white, and I will squeeze a small amount
on a piece of paper. One thing we can do
with white guash is paint the whitest feathers
along the edge of the belly. This extra touch will help emphasize the feathery
texture at the edge. The tricky part of using white guash is always getting
the right consistency, specifically the
water to paint ratio. If you use too much water, the guash will become transparent
and won't be visible. On the other hand, if you use
it straight from the tube, it will be too thick and difficult to create
smooth lines. Add just a tiny amount
of water to get the consistence you need and test it on a scrap
piece of paper first. It might take a bit of practice, but you will find
the right balance. You can also use
white gash to add the highlight in the
eye if it's been lost. Okay. Another idea is to mix permanent
rows with white guash, to paint any reflected light on the berries if you've
lost those details. These are tiny adjustments
we can make with guash. But most importantly, we will use the guash to create
a falling snow effect. I just love the look of falling snow in
the winter season, yes, I love winter as
much as I love spring. So creating winter
themed paintings like this one is
something I truly enjoy. To create falling snow, load your brush
with white gouache, and then you can
either dab it with your finger or on the
handle of another brush. You can also use your finger
to flick the bristles. The size of your brush,
the guh consistency, and the height above
the painting will all influence the size and
spread of the snowflakes. So it's best to test it
first on a piece of paper to find the effect you like before applying it to
the main painting. Initially dabbed the
brush over the handle of another brush to
create small random dots. But then I decided to just paint bigger and
smaller spots randomly. This gives me more control over the placement of the snowflakes. A helpful tip is to cover your bird with a piece of paper. If you don't want
the white snow spots to land where they
are not wanted, you can always add
them manually later. But since it's falling snow, it should be spread across
the whole painting. I wouldn't like to have a big white snowflake that
would cover the bird's eye. Now that the snow
effect is done, we can call the
painting finished. It's time to sign your work. I always sign my paintings in the bottom right corner using a color from
the background. In this case, I use once
the painting is signed, we can remove the
masking tape from the edges to reveal
a nice clean border. Later, I will also
remove the painting from the Gator board and trim
the edges with staples, leaving just a small white
border around the painting. That white border
around is always helpful if you decide to
maten frame your work. Finally, let's do a quick recap of what we've learned
in this tutorial.
16. Summary: Thank you so much
for joining me in this watercolor
painting tutorial. I hope you found it
enjoyable and that you're feeling inspired to
try this painting yourself. Let's take a moment to recap what we've covered
throughout this project. We've learned how to divide the painting process
into manageable stages, focusing on one small
piece at a time. This allowed us to approach
the painting step by step, making the process
more achievable. Explored the wet on wet
technique to create a soft, dreamy background that perfectly complements our main subject. This method helped us
blend colors seamlessly, setting a cozy
winter atmosphere. We practiced using masking
fluid effectively, giving us peace of
mind when painting the background and ensuring we could preserve key areas without worrying about
overpainting them. We learned how to paint
simple twigs and berries, giving them a
realistic look with snow folds covering the twigs to enhance the wintery scene. We broke down the bird
painting into stages, gradually building up the colors and tunnel values
with each layer. This helped us achieve depth and detail without
overwhelming ourselves. Finally, we added those delicate finishing
touches with white guash, highlighting the bird's
feathers and creating falling snow to bring the painting to life
with a winry feel. I hope you enjoyed the process
and found it manageable. I hope you've learned something. If you decide to paint this or create greeting cards
with this artwork, I would love to
see your results. Thank you again for
spending this time with me and happy painting. Bye.
