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Watercolor portrait painting tutorial with splashing technique : Drawing on my notebook works better with my lucky hat on

Watercolor portrait painting tutorial with splashing technique : Drawing on my notebook works better with my lucky hat on
Painting technique / Step by step demonstrations

Watercolor portrait painting tutorial with splashing technique : Drawing on my notebook works better with my lucky hat on

With Watercolor and especially with watercolor portraits I have a tendency to be on the tight and controlling side. It is fine but I also like when watercolor is doing its own thing. Splattering the painting with water after painting it allows me to obtain the effects I like with watercolor and still paint the way that is natural to me.

Watercolor portrait painting tutorial with splashing technique

drawing on watercolor paper

Here is my drawing on watercolor paper ( Arches hot press 140 lb)

watercolor painting techniques : painting directly on paper

I start to add colors, directly on the hat , and with a yellow ocher underpainting on the face

I am a Blick Art Materials affiliate and I receive a small compensation for sales. That does not effect in any way the cost of the purchaser’s order but it helps me keeping the content of this blog free.

Yarka St. Petersburg Professional Watercolor Pans

Same palette of traditional colors the great masters used a century ago. Liquid-poured means semi-moist pans respond instantly to a wet brush. 24 pans in plastic case. Also individual pans. – Master Set

step by step watercolor portrait painting demo

I continue to add colors around the face while it is drying.

painting textures with watercolor

I add texture with a dark grey mix on the hat.

watercolor portrait painting tutorial

I add more colors to the face a wash up a few highlights with a stiff brush and water on the face and coat.

splashing water on watercolor portraits

Time to mess it up ! I add water with a spray and drips and let the watercolor do its work, When I have colors moving to an area I don’t want them, I just take them off with a tissue paper. I can also wait until they dry and brush them off.

step by step watercolor painting tutorials

Drawing on my notebook works better with my lucky hat on- The finished painting

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Comments (37)

  1. pencil Portrait business

    I love it whenever people come together and share opinions.
    Great site, keep it up!

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  25. […] can try adding spatters and drips as I showed here for example: Messing up watercolor portraits, then a little mistake is not so important if it is surrounded by lots of splatter […]

  26. Looks perfect to me!

  27. Very nice work! I like the pose of the kid and the title is creative. Love seeing process work.

    1. Thanks, you ‘ve got some nice drawings on your blog 🙂

  28. Very nice work! I like the pose of the kid and the title is creative.

  29. theartofexploration

    This was great, it’s lovely to see the process. It makes me want to start drawing again. Thanks for the post.

  30. Wow!!
    I like your paintings a lot!
    I tried water colours some years ago, and it’s not easy! You’re very clever! 🙂
    …you make me will to start trying again!!
    Greetings!

  31. Awww… dramatic… I think I want to learn how to paint.

  32. Really Amazing,all the art work I see is really something else,I always wanted to learn and try watercolor more often,I just never had the tools to do so.I’m a sketcher myself,and painter when I’m able to get the paint,so when I do get links on my page on my Artwork or more Photo’s up you can sure check them out and let me know what you think and fill free to give me some advice,its alwasy nice to get feedback from another Artist such as yourself. Sincerly-Meg,

    1. Hello Maegan, I can’t find the link to your Artwork from your blog, can you give it here ?
      Thanks
      Sandrine

  33. I really enjoyed this post even though I am not a water-colorist. It was very interesting to read. 🙂

    1. Thanks Therese 🙂 I am glad you liked it.

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