This is a fun mixed media technique to try,. I am sure kids would love it as well and I think it is a good exercise to loosen up your painting style as well.
You will need:
Watercolor paper, 300 lb will work best but 140 lb will work as well if stretched.
A reference picture
Watercolor crayons
Water spray bottle
a few dry pastels
watercolor
a few brushes
Here are the steps you can take to try this mixed media technique:
Start by drawing an outline of your flower, the drawing doesn’t have to be very precise.
Then start coloring the different areas of your painting with the watercolor crayons. You can mix several colors in some areas to mix any color you want.
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These professional-quality, water-soluble pencils offer the freedom to switch from drawing to painting in an instant, with no change in tools. Use them to shade on dry paper, then quickly wash over with brush and water to get a blending effect. – Watercolor Pencil Sets
When all the painting has been colored, it is time to spray the paper with water.
Once the paper has dried, this will give you a “ghost image” with interesting textures and colors.
Next, start redefining this “ghost image” with pastels, adding white highlights and more colors.
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.
NuPastels have a rich, creamy texture that blends and shades easily. Frequently used in advertising layouts, NuPastels are stronger than ordinary soft pastels, which means less breakage and easier cleanup. Use them to create broad strokes and fine lines.
It is also possible to add more layers or watercolor, here some shades and the green in the background
The finished painting: Watercolor and pastels on paper
Have you tried mixing pastels and watercolors? What is your favorite way of adding pastels to your watercolors?
Originally from France, I have been living in North Vancouver, Canada for the past 20 years.
My work has been collected and exhibited extensively in Canada and internationally. I am also part of the Art Rentals and sales program of the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Many of my paintings have been published in Art books and magazines (Artist Magazine, Watercolor Artist Magazine, Acrylic Magazine, International Artist Magazine). I wrote 2 art instruction books with North Light/F+W Books.
I have been writing for the last 5 years for my blog: paintingdemos.com, that has a mailing list of about 10 000 subscribers and about 20 000 visitors per month.
I am an active member in the community, as a co-founder of the North Shore Art crawl, a co-founder of a weekly life drawing group, a board member of the North Vancouver Arts Council, and have been invited as a juror for public art, art grants and juried exhibitions. You can read more about my collaborations here.
Nice demo! Love the ghosty images.
I’m just starting to use pastels in watercolor paint. Check out my blog, where I posted today on the subject. Catherine Gill does this mixed medium and it’s really fun to work with.
Comments (2)
How to apply a wax finish to a watercolor painting on paper mounted on board.
[…] Fun mixed media technique with watercolor crayons, pastels and watercolor. […]
Barbara Tibbets
Nice demo! Love the ghosty images.
I’m just starting to use pastels in watercolor paint. Check out my blog, where I posted today on the subject. Catherine Gill does this mixed medium and it’s really fun to work with.