Watercolor SkiesTransparent Watercolor

Transparent Colors

Watercolors are referred to as transparent paint. This mean that if you draw on paper with a pencil and then paint over the pencil, the mark will show through the paint.

Ink Silhouette

Imagine a early sunrise or late sunset where objects are seen as black silhouettes against the sky. Most of the usual details are filled in black, so it will be important to include great detail on the edges of your shapes to make them interesting.

Ink Silhouette

Draw your shapes first in pencil, make them fill and break up the space in the composition. Next outline your shapes in thin permanent marker.

Ink Silhouette

We are using permanent waterproof ink because regular markers would bleed and smear using them in combination with watercolor paints.

Ink Silhouette

After the silhouettes have been outlined move up to a thicker marker to fill in the smaller details.

Ink Silhouette

Next use a brush and india ink to fill in the large areas. The india ink will save the ink pens from wearing out. Remember the ink is permanent and will stain your clothes.

Ink Silhouette

Erase any visible pencil lines that are still showing and make sure you have good details in the outside edge of your silhouette shapes. Make sure your name is on the paper.

Watercolor Wash

In this experience you will learn the techniques for making watercolor skies. In most painting mediums this would be a time consuming process of mixing a wide range of blues. With a watercolor wash the different values of blue are created quickly.

Watercolor Wash

You will be painting with watercolor over the ink drawing. Prepare your watercolors first. Get a half cup of water, a clean brush and drip a few drops of water onto the color blue without touching it.

Watercolor Wash

Go to the sink and run your paper under the facet. Let it drip and then take it to your table. Load your brush with blue and begin painting across the paper from the top moving down.

Watercolor Wash

Do not get more paint, you want the blue to fade as you work your way down to the bottom of the painting. If you look outside you will notice the sky also fades the same way.

Watercolor Wash

Now quickly load your brush with blue paint and touch the wet paper to form clouds. The paint will blur and create soft shaded clouds as you work.

Watercolor Wash

If you wish to make white clouds take a wad of paper towel and dot it on the paper to form white clouds.

Watercolor Wash

The paper towel absorbs the color, but this must be done quickly while the paper is still wet. You may have a mixture of white and dark clouds in the same sky.

Example

Let your artwork sit on the table for a few minutes while you clean up and put your water cupsand brushes away. When the paper has no standing water spots it can be placed on the drying rack.

Example

Example

Example

Example