10 Great Watercolor Painting Tips for Illustrators
“We’d like to see examples of your color work,” read the handwritten message on the postcard from an art director at a children’s book publisher.
uh oh. He had liked the black-and-white art samples I sent him, but he focused on my weakness: the painting instruction he had never received in college.
Now I had to work on some full-color illustrations that would demonstrate my painterly bravery, or lack thereof. It was a long time ago and I’ll spare you the details of how I spent the weekend preparing watercolors, doing the best I could with what little I knew. He could draw figures and scenes decently. But in my color and washes, there were always as many misses as hits. My painting efforts were all guesswork. It showed itself?
I guess so, because I never heard from her again after I sent her my watercolors, or rather, photocopies of them.
I have learned a lot since then from painters, art directors and fellow illustrators, who were also, thank God, heartfelt and generous teachers.
As a result, I’ve learned that what I thought was the scary part of illustration was not that scary or that complicated. In fact, it’s a lot of fun.
It turns out that art doesn’t have as many rules as many other subjects. A handful of design principles apply to illustration as they do to just about every type of visual art. And that, combined with a little common sense, professional courtesy (to your viewers), and some practice can help your painting look like you’ve been doing it forever. And on top of that metaphorical cake, I’ll add a little frosting: my top ten favorite watercolor painting tips that I’ve learned or discovered on my own path.
1.) Before painting, jot down (in pencil) a small, loose sketch of your scene to determine where the midtones, highlights, and darks of your image should be, so you have a strategy and some patterns to follow in your painting. paint. .
2.) Use good painting materials – some quality round sable or synthetic blend brushes will make a world of difference. Although it’s not even as big of a difference as the correct paper, which should be 100 percent cotton rag watercolor paper (it has to say that: 100 percent rag, so you know it’s not made from wood pulp, but fibers). made of real cotton Arches paper is a good brand to look for Any type: cold pressed (jagged texture) or hot pressed (smooth surface), either type will work well for your artwork And any paper weight: 140 lb. or 90 lbs.
3.) If your illustration is going to be a bit complicated, make a full size outline drawing on regular drawing paper. This should not be confused with your value sketch, which will be quite small and should be done after you have carefully drawn up your larger drawing. Lightly transfer your pencil sketch, or a photocopy of it, onto your watercolor paper with the help of a light box. Or trace your sketch onto your paper using a window and natural light from outside.
4.) Think in terms of a dominant color for your paint. You’ll add some, but not many, other colors to your palette; most importantly, a color opposite to the dominant color, which you can use to darken or neutralize the other colors a bit where needed.
5.) Start your painting with a medium tone wash of your dominant color. Mix well ahead of time so you don’t run out. (It’s okay if it’s a slightly “broken” or slightly neutralized version of the color. Colors will depend on the mood and theme of the scene.) When you are painting, don’t forget to reserve blank areas of paper in the composition. for the whites and lighter colors that will go in those spaces. In the final painting, you’ll want to place the darker darks against the lighter light spots where you want your viewers to look the most. That will be the center of interest of your painting.
6.) When painting, make sure your brush is thoroughly wet (but not sloppy and out of control) with the paint solution. Your wash solution should be well saturated with pigment so that the color is rich and strong, yet not dull or heavy. Tilt the painting board slightly, so the washes run slightly under gravity down the sheet in one direction only: toward you. If you see a small drop of liquid forming on the bottom edge of your brush strokes, you are working with a brush that is wet enough and has the slate tilted just right.
7.) Good watercolor advice is one you can hear from any professional house painter: Work with the largest brush you can, for economy of means, brevity of technique. This means covering the surface you need, but not working too hard on one passage. Less is usually more. If you can complete an entire section with just one juicy swipe of the brush, great! You can always come back later (after it’s dry), if that first wash didn’t cover enough.
8.) You’ll enjoy learning lots and lots of good watercolor painting techniques, but if you remember the big idea: keep the brush wet, the paint agitated, and yet rich and strong with color, that’s a good career start for a painter.
9.) Know that your brushstrokes will always dry a stop or two (on the value scale) lighter than they will look when wet and shimmery. So don’t be afraid to darken your paint mixtures. Push those darks in your image, for better clarity and contrast and a stronger design.
10.) Don’t forget to put down your brush and walk away from the painting from time to time. But don’t stop to rest long until you’ve filled in all four corners of the painting with some kind of color. (But remember to leave some blank spaces where you think you might need them.) Only when the initial covering of the paint surface dries can you assess how much further you need to go. And that may not be as far as you think. Wait until you are well rested before attempting to judge your painting.