Reviving an Old Watercolor: Bringing New Life to a Forgotten Elephant Painting
Rediscovering Hidden Potential
Hi, I'm Valerie Englehart, and today I want to show you how to breathe new life into old paintings that might be sitting unloved in your studio. I recently found this elephant I painted in shades of green back in 2020—almost six years ago now. It's been sitting forgotten, but I could see the makings of a great painting hiding beneath its quiet surface.
The piece was originally painted on a 14 by 20 block of Arches rough watercolor paper. Here's a fun story: this was actually supposed to be fruit bats! I had painted greenery with the idea of adding bats, but then paint fell off my palette and went everywhere. When I noticed white spaces that looked perfect for tusks, I thought, "Okay, I guess it's going to be an elephant." But that was back when I was still an early painter and wasn't super confident. The result had potential but was a little too quiet.
Making Bold Decisions
Looking at this old piece, I identified several issues. It was too big with too much dead space at the bottom. So I made my first bold decision: I chopped off the bottom section. Don't be afraid to cut your paper! This immediately improved the composition and made the painting easier to work with.
Experimenting with Paint Lifting and Stencils
I've been enjoying using stencils to remove paint lately, and I received some great stencils from my mom for Christmas. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to experiment. After all, if this painting has been sitting unseen for years, there's no harm in trying new techniques. If it goes wrong, I learn something. If it goes right, I also learn something—and maybe end up with a good painting.
Since this was painted on really good quality watercolor paper, I knew I had a safety net: if everything went completely wrong, I could always paint on the back.
The Lifting Process
I started by using a melamine eraser (magic eraser) to lift paint through a stencil. The key is getting it just slightly damp—not wet, just damp. I tested a spot first to make sure it would work, then began gently scrubbing in circular motions following the round shape of the stencil.
One thing to watch for: you will get little balls of paper when scrubbing cotton paper. That's normal, but be careful not to scrub too hard or you'll lift off layers of paper. The paint I was removing had been sitting for six years and seemed to be staining the paper, but the lifting technique still worked beautifully.
I also discovered that a scrubber brush worked even better than the magic eraser for this particular task. The important thing is to work gently and check your progress frequently.
One advantage of lifting versus using gouache is that it's gentler in appearance—the paint underneath still shows through, creating a softer effect. However, once you commit to lifting, painting back over those areas isn't ideal. You're essentially committing to that lifted area remaining light.
Deepening the Shadows
After lifting, I needed to add more dimension to the painting. I squeezed out fresh Perylene Green and used a size 10 Princeton Neptune round brush to deepen shadows. The light was coming from one direction, so I focused on darkening the opposite side, particularly around the trunk.
I used the dark values to bring out the light areas—negative painting around the ear and down the trunk. This immediately made the elephant pop forward from the background. I could either leave these marks hard or soften them, and I chose to do a bit of both depending on the area.
Playing with Temperature
I alternated between Perylene Green (a cooler, darker green) and Green Apatite Genuine (a lighter, warmer green) to create depth and dimension. By outlining the outside of the ear and leg with the warmer green, then bleeding it away with water, I created separation between elements without harsh lines. I love lost and found edges!
The key is being mindful of where you place your warm and cool colors, and how extreme you make certain contrasts. I wanted the elephant to look like it was emerging from a mist, moving toward the viewer, so I intentionally left some areas ambiguous and soft.
Building Up the Details
Once I had the major value structure in place, I focused on bringing up contrast in the focal point—the elephant's head and face. I used dry brushing techniques to create texture that mimics elephant skin. By filling my brush with pigment and then lightly skipping it across the paper (especially on its side), I achieved that rough, textured appearance.
I didn't have my original reference image anymore, so I was working purely from memory based on all the other elephant paintings I've done over the years. This is something that comes with practice—as you paint a subject more and more, you become familiar with its structure and can work without constant reference.
Adding Confident Wrinkles
After the initial layers dried (I let everything dry naturally and was pleased to see it dried paler as expected), I went back in with a size two rigger brush to add more defined wrinkles. I followed the lines I'd already suggested in the earlier layers, just making them stronger.
The technique here is quick but confident strokes. I picked up thick pigment with my rigger, making very fast marks. Then I went back with a damp round brush to soften some—not all—of these lines. I wanted them to remain visible but not harsh or cartoony.
Some wrinkles run across following the curved form, while others come straight down vertically. This variation is important for creating realistic texture.
Glazing Over the Lifted Areas
Remember that mandala-like pattern I lifted with the stencil? It looked great but was very flat compared to the three-dimensional form of the elephant. To integrate it better, I glazed over it with light washes of Green Apatite Genuine. This gave the lifted pattern depth and made it look like it was part of the curved surface of the elephant's face rather than floating on top.
Earlier I mentioned you shouldn't paint over scrubbed areas, and that's generally true—but glazing is different. The scrubbed texture remains visible beneath the glaze, which is exactly what I wanted.
Final Touches with Gouache
To finish, I added white gouache highlights to suggest where light was catching on the wrinkles and edges. I used the same rigger brush, working with fresh gouache paint. White gouache shows up best on dark areas, so I focused on placing highlights strategically rather than everywhere.
Gouache will dry paler (especially if it's watery), and white gouache on watercolor will continue to lighten as it dries, so don't panic! It also lifts easily if you need to adjust it.
I added subtle white lines following some wrinkles, a few highlights where reflected light might catch, and small touches to separate the ear from the background. I was careful not to overdo it—sometimes just a little bit of difference is all you need.
The Joy of Experimentation
One of the best things about reworking old paintings is the freedom to experiment without fear. This painting had been sitting forgotten for years. If my experiments failed, I'd have learned something valuable. If they succeeded—which they did—I'd have rescued a painting I'm now proud to display.
The transformation from a quiet, oversized piece to a dynamic, atmospheric elephant study shows what's possible when you're willing to take risks with work that's already languishing in your studio.
Key Techniques Recap
Here are the main techniques I used to revive this painting:
Cropping: Don't be afraid to cut your paper to improve composition
Paint lifting with stencils: Using melamine erasers or scrubber brushes with stencils to remove paint
Temperature contrast: Alternating warm and cool greens for depth
Dry brushing: Creating texture by lightly skipping a paint-loaded brush across paper
Negative painting: Defining forms by painting around them
Glazing: Adding transparent layers over lifted areas to integrate them
Gouache highlights: Strategic white accents to suggest light and dimension
Your Turn
I'd love to see if you use any of these techniques to rework your old paintings! Tag me on Instagram @valerie.englehart—I really want to see what you create.
Thanks so much for joining me on this painting revival journey. Remember, those "failed" or forgotten paintings in your studio might just be waiting for their moment to shine!