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A little Birdie told me, watercolor portrait and zentangle

A little Birdie told me, watercolor portrait and zentangle on ARTiful, painting demos
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A little Birdie told me, watercolor portrait and zentangle

It is fun to integrate zentangles in a watercolor painting. See how I did it on this watercolor portrait of my daughter with a step by step painting tutorial.

This is my own version of zentangles as zentangles are usually done in black but I wanted a softer color in the background so the patterns  would blend in more.

You might also like: How to paint skin tones with watercolor- 7 tips

Start by painting the watercolor portrait

watercolor painting palette for portraits

This is my painting palette: Daniel Smith French Ochre, Da Vinci Cadmium Yellow and Sap Green, Holbein Horizon Blue, Ultramarine Blue,Permanent Red, Permanent Alizarin Crimson

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.

 

Da Vinci Artists’ Permanent Watercolors, 292 Yellow Ochre, 15 ml

Da Vinci paints are exciting, intense, and rated among the best in the world for quality. The paints are permanent, with the highest tinting strength and pigment concentration available, and a creamy consistency for smooth, easy dispersion with water.

watercolor washes in porcelain flower palette

I mix a bit of paint with water in each of the palette wells of a porcelain flower palette, then mix each color so its ready when I will need them.

drawing on watercolor paper

I am drawing a rough outline of the shapes on my paper, that has been previously stretched.

You might also ne interested in: How to stretch watercolor paper on the Craftsy website

Preserving whites with masking fluid

I just have a few areas to preserve with masking fluid. Masking fluid is very convenient when working with watercolors as it allows you to preserve the white of the paper in areas that would be too tricky or inconvenient to paint around, like the white of the eyes on the portrait.

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.

 

Daler-Rowney Masking Fluid

This fluid is used to create striking white highlights or to mask areas for overpainting at a later stage. It forms a fast-drying, water-resistant film on watercolor paper and board, and is easily removed when dry.

The white of the eyes have been preserved with masking fluid.

The white of the eyes have been preserved with masking fluid.

the legs of the bird have been preserved with masking fluid

And the bird legs so I can paint the hood more easily.

light wash of blue on the sky

I start by painting the sky with a light flat wash of horizon Blue paint.

layering watercolors to paint a portrait- The first layer is yellow

I will paint the portrait by layering colors, I am starting with Cadmium Yellow

Painting the red layer

Then a layer of red watercolor.

You might also like : Layering watercolors for portraits

light green watercolor wash on the background

I am also starting to paint the lighter green areas in the background.

blue watercolor layer on the portrait

I paint the last blue layer on the portrait and finish a rough painting of the trees in the background.

the watercolor portrait painting is now ready to add zentangles

Then I paint the bird a bright red and will start by covering it in zentangles using a 0.5 black marker.

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.

Sakura Pigma Micron Pen

Pigma Micron pens are acid-free and archival, making them ideal for any application requiring precision and permanance. Pigma ink is derived from a single pigment to ensure color consistency, and is fadeproof against sunlight or UV light. – Set of 6, Black

zentangle watercolor bird

Here is the zentangled bird, I also added a few drips.

watercolor and zentangle on the foliage

I am also zentangling the background, this time with a thicker grey marker.

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.


Copic Original Markers

There’s nothing like the Copic double-ended marker for expert blending, painting, and tone control. Use them for fine art projects, calligraphy, and more. The broad nib offers coverage for larger areas. For detailed work, flip over to the fine nib.
zentangle patterns on the background of a watercolor portrait

I am using a few different patterns

details of a Zentangle patterns on the background of a watercolor portrait

Zentangle patterns

details of a Zentangle patterns on the background of a watercolor portrait
details of Zentangle patterns on the background of a watercolor portrait

I also want to leave some areas with just the paint and not zentangle on the whole painting.

watercolor portrait with bird and zentangle patterns by North Vancouver artist Sandrine Pelissier

A little Birdie told me,
Watercolor and mixed media on paper,
26 x 21 inches
Original sold

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Comments (13)

  1. […] You might also like: A little Birdie told me, watercolor portrait and zentangle […]

  2. Cheryl Nicholson

    Hi Sandrine,
    I have a question about using the fine-tip markers over watercolour paint. Does doing this ever clog your pen nibs? I’ve had problems with this and ruined my pen. I was using a micron pen over cheap daler rowney watercolour paint. I’d sure appreciate your thoughts.

    1. Thanks Cheryl, I did not have this problem but you can try a dipping pen with watercolor instead of ink. It works well and won’t clog. Plus you can use any color you want.

      1. Cheryl Nicholson

        Excellent advice! I find your art inspiring and love the play between organic shapes and intricate patterns. I thank you.

        1. Thanks Cheryl:)

  3. Pauline

    Thanks Sandrine, I continue to enjoy your work and its unique creativity, really lovely. I intend to start on a project on small canvases with multi portraits next – will get a lot of help from your instuctions. Thanks again!
    Best Wishes Pauline

    1. Thanks Pauline! Let me know how your project goes 🙂

  4. […] Zentangle and watercolor painting tutorial […]

  5. […] Landscape Watercolor painting with zentangles : Rainforest Imagery on A little Birdie told me, watercolor portrait and zentangle […]

  6. […] A little Birdie told me,Watercolor and mixed media on paper painting tutorial. […]

  7. […] A little Birdie told me,Watercolor and mixed media on paper painting tutorial. […]

  8. Pauline

    Absolutley love ypur work Sandrine, loving “a little bird told me” I love painting birds wish I could paint them better!

    I am ready to try with your marvellous tutorial By the way, postage to UK same price as the print, I will have to find another way!
    Congratulations on an interesting and beautiful piece of work
    Pauline

    1. Thanks Pauline for your nice comment 🙂
      I have a PDF version of the printed books available that is less expensive and you wouldn’t have to pay any postage. It annoys me too when I have to pay as much shipping as the value of what is being shipped 🙂

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