Make a Splash: Paint an Expressive Orca with Playful Watercolor Techniques

There’s something truly exhilarating about painting the moment an orca bursts through the surface of the ocean. Orcas are powerful, graceful creatures, and in this class, we’ll focus on capturing their movement, energy, and the drama of the sea in a bold and expressive style.

We’ll blend traditional watercolour techniques like wet-on-wet blending and glazing with a playful twist, using a straw to blow and shape the crashing splash of ocean waves. This fun and spontaneous method adds organic textures that are perfect for suggesting motion and water spray, helping you loosen up and discover new ways of working with watercolour.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or just looking to try something different, this class is designed to be approachable and inspiring.

In this class, you’ll learn how to:

• Use wet-on-wet and soft gradient techniques to paint the orca’s sleek form

• Apply strong contrasts to make your subject pop with drama and depth

• Create dynamic, splashy wave textures using a straw-blown technique

• Balance expressive looseness with enough structure to capture the orca’s presence

This is all about movement and expression, not perfection. You’ll be guided step-by-step to paint an orca bursting from the ocean’s surface with powerful, sweeping brushwork and joyful experimentation.

I hope this class encourages you to embrace a more creative and expressive approach to watercolour. You don’t need to master every fine detail, what matters is the feeling of the scene, the flow of the water, and the freedom to play with your materials.

So grab your brushes (and your straw) and let’s bring this majestic orca to life!

Thank you so much for your interest in this class!

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Try this class to explore your creativity...

I’ve been painting for many years now, taken part in many exhibitions around the world and won awards from well respected organisations. As well as having my work feature in art magazines. After having success selling my originals and 1000s of prints around the world, I decided to start traveling with my brushes and paintings. My style is modern and attempts to grasp the essence of what I’m painting whilst allowing freedom and expression to come through. I simplify complicated subjects into easier shapes that encourages playfulness.

You'll Learn:

• What materials and equipment to need to painting along
• Basic technique to complete your first painting
• How to avoid common mistakes
• Choosing the right colours for your painting
• How to blend colours and create textures for different effects
• Making corrections and improvements
• Finishing touches that make a big difference

When enrolled, I’ll include my complete ‘Watercolour Mixing Charts’. These are a huge aid for beginners and experts alike. They show what every colour on the palette looks like when mixed with each other. Indispensable when it comes to choosing which colour to mix.

Don’t forget to follow me on Skillshare. Click the “follow” button and you’ll be the first to know as soon as I launch a new course or have a big announcement to share with my students.

Additional Resources:

• Here are the art supplies I recommend
• Follow me on Instagram
• Check out my website

Music by Audionautix.com