In this video demo I’ll paint a loose cafe scene using watercolors. It’s inspired from a photo reference but many changes were made to make it my own. The video is strictly inspirational and filmed with background music only. But if you know a little about watercolor techniques you can easily see what’s happening. Below you will find the materials used, some tips for painting loose, along with inspiration image and finished artwork.
A few pointers that may help you loosen up your art
Try not adding a pre-drawing. I know this sounds difficult but if you try it a few times I think you will start to appreciate the freedom it gives you.
Change up your brushes. It’s easy to use your favorite brushes all the time. I recommend using brushes that would be considered inappropriate for the wash. For example, I use a small and medium size sword brush all the time for larger washes. I like the expressive results so it works for my style. I use a needle brush a lot, too. Don’t be afraid to use an acrylic brush once in a while. Anything to change up the monotony.
Use arbitrary colors but play close attention to values. You don’t always have to get match colors, actually I highly recommend you don’t! But you do have to get the value hierarchy on point!
Materials used in the demo
Materials used in this watercolor demo are as follows:
- Holbein paints; Cadmium red light, alizarin crimson, Cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow lemon, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, neutral tint
- Brushes – Princeton Neptune pointed round #12, #6, Rigger #3/4″, Silver brush black velvet jumbo (medium)
- Paper; Fabriano Artistico, bright white, 140 lb. cold press 11″ x 14″
Inspiration Image & Finished Art
