intro to watercolor

watercolor, along with other color rendering media, can add a lot to your plain contour drawings. as with anything else, it does take some practice and getting used to, but don't be discouraged. the best watercolor renderings are ones that aren't perfectly inside the lines, and have personal style and character. it is also a media that is meant to be light, to add quick depth and shadow. below we've compiled a bunch of examples, a few tips and techniques to try, and a some external links for extra help. give it a try!



Suzanne

Pete Scully

Victor Martinez

Ascender Rises Above Studios

Anita Davies ( ^ some good vignette examples!!)


Terry Banderas

Jason Das

quick tips/techniques:
-dark negative spaces pushes the positive space forward.
-watercolor dries approximately 3 times lighter than the color you see when it's wet.
-clean brushes thoroughly to avoid hidden paint in your next drawing.
-to show light, or very bright areas in a drawing, simply leave that area blank.
-keep paper towels/cloth on hand for blotting overly large puddles.

external links for extra help:
watercolorpainting.com (really great tutorials section)
handprint.com
danny gregory also works with watercolor quite a bit.

places to buy watercolor sets (as well as other decently-priced supplies):
dickblick
jerry's (store in raleigh)
daniel smith
cheap joe' art supplies