Drawing lessons with paints for beginners, how to learn how to create paints
Watercolor painting is a type of creativity that can be learned in childhood and in adulthood. The paints are water soluble, easy to mix and apply. Unlike oil, they do not have a specific smell and allow working in different styles - realism, expressionism, caricature. To draw in watercolor, beginning artists will need special paper and a set of brushes.
Selection of materials
The main attributes of an artist are paint, brush and artistic thought. But in order for a talented drawing to please the eye, you need high-quality paper.
How to choose watercolor paper
Watercolor paper differs in the way it is pressed:
- cold - with a textured surface;
- warmer - smooth and even leaves.
The density of watercolor paper is 200 grams per square meter. It differs from office sheets in that it absorbs moisture less well and water-based paint stains do not slip. On plain paper, you won't be able to draw a clear watercolor outline.
Which brushes are suitable for budding artists
The brushes are hard and soft. Hard bristles are used for working with oil paints - white hog bristle brushes. For watercolors, a soft pile is suitable, which absorbs and retains moisture well - proteins and columns. A versatile material - synthetic bristles. The brushes are erased during work, so it is important to pay attention to the following points when purchasing:
- choose brushes with a sturdy metal backing - the rim holds the bristle and is attached to the handle. Sewn clips loosen faster and the brush crumbles;
- check the reliability of the clip - so that the bezel does not wobble;
- the pile should hold firmly - the hairs should not fall out;
- bending the bristle - checking the elasticity will determine the quality and usefulness of the brush;
- pay attention to the handle - a glossy lacquered surface is easier to wash than an untreated wooden surface.
To perform different techniques and strokes of different thicknesses, use wide, drop-shaped and thin brushes. In addition, the brushes are distinguished by numbers:
| Pieces | Appointment |
| 1-2 | Write fine details and lines |
| 4-10 | Overlay backgrounds, shadows, layers, and tints |
| 14-16 | Write large objects |
| 18-20 | Covering much of the background |
Size zero is assigned to thin lines for drawing outlines. Universal numbers that are suitable for applying backgrounds and painting small objects are 6, 8, 10 or 14.
Paint Selection Rules
To learn to paint, regular or professional paints will do. Thanks to the natural pigments, the pattern looks three-dimensional. The shades blend well. Professional or studio kits include 6, 12, 24, 32 colors.The price depends on the number of shades and the quality of the paint. Larger sets are more expensive. To learn how to paint and mix shades, a set of six basic colors will do.
The set must necessarily contain white and black, since they are used to produce halftones when mixing. Intense and dark colors are obtained from paints in tubes. They are more convenient because they are already ready to go. Hard paints in the bowls should be lightly soaked.
Basic watercolor painting techniques for beginners
The most interesting thing about painting with watercolors is playing with color. Therefore, the training begins with learning the techniques of blending shades.
Color palette and mixing
Before drawing, the artists compose a palette of shades. One or two strokes are applied to the watercolor paper with each base tone. Color names are written below the swatches. For convenience, the paper palette is placed in the lid of the paint box, and the samples are applied according to the arrangement of the jars. Examples of shades before your eyes help you choose the right colors. Watercolors are mixed in a plastic palette with imprints. But a shallow white ceramic plate is also suitable for work. To achieve a dark or light color, add water to the paint:
- 2-3 drops in a bowl with paint;
- 8 drops in a clean compartment of the palette;
- collect paint and mix with water;
- rinse the brush and pour 5 drops into the next compartment, mix again with the paint.
You can adjust the transparency of the color with a brush - moisten it more or less.If the color is too dark on the paper, dampen the brush in clean water and dilute the paint on the canvas. This way the shadows are drawn:
- a layer of transparent paint is applied;
- another layer is applied to the shaded area;
- clean the brush, dampen in clean water and blur the line between light and dark.
Different colors also mix together. To make the shade gravitate towards one of the composite colors, more is added.
Examine the object to be drawn
The technique makes it possible to look at familiar things in a new way:
- consider the texture, small details - the grooves in the bark, the veins of the leaves, the number of petals;
- break objects into geometric shapes;
- present the landscape in the form of a multi-layered decor and build it on a sheet of far-to-close objects.
During the observation, sketches and notes are made with a simple pencil.
Liquid paint primer
A special coating is applied to the paper. When the floor is dry, paint over it with watercolors.
If the color is off limits or needs to be removed, wash off the primer along with the paint with a damp brush or sponge.
icing
When layering paints in layers, the smoothest color transitions are achieved. Details are added at the end, on the last layer.
Dry brush technique
The peculiarity of the technique is that a wet brush is dipped into the paint, the moisture is removed with a napkin, and then it is painted over. The technique is used to draw animal hair, the nap on the kiwi, the edges of the stems.
Simple step-by-step drawings
At first, the image is outlined with thin pencil strokes: contours and details are drawn, the shadow is indicated by light strokes. Then paint and water are mixed on the palette and the color intensity is selected.
Berries
How to draw round objects:
- draw paint from a bowl on a brush and highlight contours and dark areas with saturated color;
- dilute the green color on the palette;
- with a clean brush, take a little yellow paint in a bowl, then diluted green;
- start drawing a cutting line from the berry, while the saturated color will gradually turn light green;
- paint over the light areas of the berries with a diluted color;
- highlight the areas of cuttings with a darker shade of the same color range as the main color of the berries;
- paint the shadow in diluted purple, blue, black or brown, gradually make it paler;
- make smooth transitions of light and shadow on the berries, adding dark paint and diluting the strokes with water.
In this way cherries, blueberries are drawn. For the image of raspberries, you need a thin brush to outline the outlines of the drupes. The liner also applies shade to the cuttings.
flowers
Buds and stems are drawn in the same way as berries with cuttings. The main thing is to outline in detail the location of highlights and shadow transitions with a pencil, and then draw, changing the color intensity.
How interesting and easy it is to depict dandelions with feathers:
- lightly mark the round flower heads with a corolla circle in the center and the stems;
- lightly walk along the pattern with an elastic band so that only a barely noticeable outline remains;
- dilute blue and blue colors, make shades of different intensity;
- take a brush one by one and spray paint along the contours and center of the dandelions;
- wipe the middle of the dandelions with a paper towel;
- add black to blue to get an inky shade;
- with a fine brush, draw corollas in the center of the circle-vertices;
- draw thin lines of the stems with an ink shade, draw the legs of the down with strokes, and outline the tops with dots.
You can spray paint with one hand motion, bend the brush backwards, or combine the two methods. Then the drops will turn out to be of different sizes, and the dandelions will gain volume.
landscape elements
First, you need to sketch the location of the objects: the horizon line, the triangles of the mountains, the oval of the lake and the features of the trees.
Painting steps:
- apply background colors - sky, mountains, land, water, greenery;
- draw details and shadows - foliage, flowers, ripples on the surface of the water, the texture of mountains, clouds;
- add small elements with the liner - glare, birds in the sky.
When drawing elements, the following rules are followed:
- the sky darkens at the edge of the sheet;
- the distant peaks of the mountains are depicted in a dark color, and the closer - in the light;
- the vegetation in the distance is drawn with the tip of a brush, with strokes of a dark tint.
Parts of the drawing are drawn in turn: first the main color is applied, then shadows and shades.
Drawing ideas
What can you draw on a free theme:
- animals;
- portraits of family members from life or from a photo;
- urban landscape;
- the underwater world and its inhabitants;
- fabulous animals such as J.K. Rowling's Fantastic Creatures;
- characters from favorite books or movies;
- indoor flower;
- culinary dish.
An inexhaustible supply of drawing ideas - dreams.
Additional tips and tricks
How to learn to convey the character of a design using paints:
- research new techniques for rendering texture - in a separate album, try painting with your fingers, apply non-standard techniques, for example, apply cling film over wet paint;
- drawing on different papers - high and low density, cold and hot pressing, on a rough texture;
- experiment with color, mix shades and create a palette of your own color vision to create extraordinary images.
Through practice and experimentation, the artist's style develops. You don't need to draw and stick to realistic colors. Expressive strokes and non-standard color schemes sometimes attract more attention than realism.