Watercolor Lessons on Depth and Luminosity: 10 Watercolor Painting Techniques

Watercolor painting has grown, evolved, and continued to challenge artists for centuries. Even today, watercolor artists are discovering new methods for creating watercolor art. One of these watercolor artists, Ali Cavanaugh, doesn't shrink from the challenges of watercolor, but rather is empowered by them.

Her unusual watercolor painting techniques allow her to produce watercolor art with incredibly realistic skin tones and complicated colors and patterns. She likens her process to that of egg tempera, using multiple layers and tiny strokes to build of layers of color, sometimes using a dozen colors and as many as 50 layers. In this watercolor tutorial she shares her watercolor painting tips and demonstrates her entire process of watercolor painting from setting up the model, to adding the finishing touches. Learn more about her unique practice, and discover how to incorporate depth and luminosity in your own watercolor art when you download this free eBook 10 Watercolor Painting Techniques from Artist Daily today!

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Artist Daily presents 10 tips for watercolor painting.
Learn how to paint with watercolors from
expert watercolor artist Ali Cavanaugh.

Free Watercolor Lessons on Depth and Luminosity: 10 Watercolor Painting Techniques

As a new watercolor artist, Ali Cavanaugh strived to create richly detailed and realistic figures using her favorite medium: watercolor. What she uncovered is a unique approach to watercolor painting that is much more like oil painting than traditional watercolor. In this watercolor tutorial from Artist Daily, Cavanaugh shares her techniques and 10 watercolor painting tips to help improve your own practice. Ready to get started? Join watercolor artist Ali Cavanaugh for an adventure in watercolor painting, and follow her step-by-step through this unique method for creating watercolor art.

Free Watercolor Lessons on Depth and Luminosity: 10 Watercolor Painting Techniques

Watercolor painting presents many unique possibilities for the use of negative space, brilliance, and the illusion of volume. Watercolor artist Ali Cavanaugh believes her interest in the figure originates from the hearing loss she has suffered from a young age. She has a small amount of hearing in one ear, but depends on lip reading and body language to translate the world around her. This has made her attuned to others, to the unspoken language of the figure. She always returned to the figure in her paintings, finding that painting her daughter and niece became and entry point to her own childhood experiences. By overstating the negative space in her watercolor art, she quiets the composition, giving us all peek into her nearly silent world. As a watercolor artist, there is no doubt that Cavanaugh will continue to find a way to make the process and watercolor art uniquely her own. Learn how to achieve this luminosity, realism, and depth in your own watercolor art when you download this free watercolor painting techniques eBook!

In the short demonstration at the end of her watercolor tutorial, Cavanaugh shares a step-by-step look at watercolor painting with the picture she calls Doubtful.

Watercolor Painting Instruction
Materials and Supplies

Cavanaugh approaches her painting much like an oil artist will, by building up multiples layers and slowly blending the paint for desired color and value. Her watercolor painting techniques allow her to achieve remarkable depth and luminosity, especially in the skin tones of her subjects. This labor-intensive and unconventional approach to watercolor art requires the use of a special surface, which she discovered in Ampersand's Aquaboard. This plaster panel is cradled in birch plywood and covered with kaolin clay, which allows the paint to remain workable over a much longer period of time.

Cavanaugh demonstrates how to paint with watercolors using layers and a variety of shades to achieve one color, such as gray in this watercolor painting.

Watercolor Painting Instruction
Setting Up the Photo Shoot

Next, Cavanaugh shares her tips for setting up the photo shoot to get the perfect shot. Her models are often her daughter and niece, dressed in very distinct vintage fabrics. Learn why this watercolor artist finds this part of the process the most creative, and why she spends a great deal of time perfecting the photo before moving on to her watercolor painting. After finishing this section of the watercolor lessons, you will have learned how to set up the photo shoot, select the photos, and get a basic idea of how this watercolor artist uses photo editing software to get the perfect shot.

Here she puts the finishing touches one small stroke at a time, showing how watercolor artists can achieve realistic skin tones and depth.

Watercolor Painting Instruction
Creating the Watercolor Painting

After selecting the photo, Cavanaugh creates a light graphite drawing, laying the foundation for her watercolor painting. She then wets the surface and begins her painting. What follows is a process that is slow and meticulous, but yields watercolor art that is full of depth and luminosity. With these watercolor lessons you will learn how to paint with watercolors in an entirely unique way. Learn how to approach watercolor painting through layers of paint, creating rich darks and luminous lights.

If you have been searching for resources on watercolor painting for beginners, or are already a watercolor artist looking for fresh inspiration, this eBook has something for you. With each of the ten watercolor painting lessons, you will discover an entirely new way to approach watercolor art.

Cavanaugh's process begins with a photo shoot, where she will take as many as 300 shots, engaging the model in conversation so she finds the most natural, compelling poses. Then while viewing them in a photo editing program, she evaluates each shot in black and white, seeing what each composition has to offer without the distraction of pattern and color. Sometimes she selects one shot, sometimes a couple of photos that she will piece together, then adds and removes elements, before determining the final composition.

Along with your FREE copy of Watercolor Lessons on Depth and Luminosity: 10 Watercolor Painting Techniques you'll also become a valued member of the Artist Daily online community. As a member you'll have:

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Learn how to paint with watercolors when you download this free collection of watercolor painting lessons today!

Watercolor Lessons on Depth and Luminosity: 10 Watercolor Painting Techniques from Artist Daily