Take some time and find a leaf, flower or a photo that sparks joy or interest and use it to work through this simple demonstration of applying watercolor, light to dark.
Step 1
Lightly draw the frame or the area of your image with a pencil.
Step 2
Place masking tape along all edges, overlapping at the corners.
Step 3
Lightly sketch the image you've chosen - giving yourself clearly defined boundaries between color, light and shadow.
Step 4
Begin painting the lightest colors of your image - the highlights, the lightest colors where the light hits the image. Allow your work to dry then work your way around the image painting the next darker color and so on.
Step 5
For this exercise, you can paint the background or leave it white, just focusing on your subject.
Step 6
Be kind to yourself and don't demand too much. Let yourself play.
Step 7
I decided to place a purple shadow in there which gave it a personality of it's own! It looks like a sinister dude.
Step 8
Let the whole painting dry completely. Use a small fan if you've got it. Remove the tape once it's dry.
