How to Paint a Stunning Watercolor Coffee Cup with Lavender
Discover the secrets to painting a captivating watercolor still life featuring a coffee cup and lavender flowers. Artist Valerie Englehart shares professional techniques for creating realistic coffee textures, elegant gold accents, and organic lavender blossoms. This detailed tutorial covers everything from material selection to advanced watercolor techniques, perfect for artists of all skill levels looking to create art that transports viewers to peaceful moments.
How to Paint Juicy Watercolor Tomatoes: A Summer-Inspired Tutorial for Loose and Vibrant Results
Embrace the "tomato summer" trend in art with this comprehensive guide to painting juicy, vibrant watercolor tomatoes. I share my techniques for creating organic shine, perfect color blending, and loose, expressive results that capture the essence of fresh farmer's market produce. No botanical precision required - just pure watercolor joy.
How to Paint a Classic Red and White Fly Agaric Mushroom in Watercolor: A Beginner's Guide
Discover the joy of loose watercolor painting with this comprehensive guide to creating a classic red and white capped Amanita mushroom. I demonstrate how to achieve beautiful, organic results without preliminary sketching, focusing on color flow, natural imperfection, and the magic of wet-on-wet techniques that capture nature's essence.
Painting Loose & Luminous: My Nashville Zoo Meerkat Adventure
Sometimes the best paintings come from unexpected moments of inspiration. Join me as I transform a 2022 zoo photograph into a vibrant, atmospheric watercolor that celebrates both patience and spontaneity – and discover why your own photo references might be your secret weapon for competition entries. From wet-into-wet magic to the art of knowing what to leave out, this meerkat adventure is all about embracing the beautiful unpredictability of watercolor.
From Failed to Fabulous: Transforming an Old Barn Owl Painting 🦉
Sometimes the best art comes from the pieces we've forgotten about. Join me as I rescue a dusty 2020 barn owl painting and discover why keeping your "failed" artwork might be the best creative decision you'll ever make. From directional gouache techniques to embracing happy accidents, this transformation tutorial proves that with fresh eyes and improved skills, any piece can become a masterpiece.
Painting Loose Hydrangeas: Capturing Beauty Without the Fuss
Hydrangeas can be intimidating with their clusters of tiny blooms, but who wants to paint hundreds of little dots? Not me! In this tutorial, I'll show you my favorite "lazy" techniques (yes, I proudly embrace artistic shortcuts!) for creating gorgeous, loose hydrangeas that capture the essence of these beautiful flowers without the tedious detail work. From salt textures to cling film magic, these approachable methods will transform how you paint complex florals.
Painting a Thai Angel Statue: Intuitive Watercolor with a Limited Palette
Working with a limited palette doesn't mean limiting your creativity! In this tutorial, I'll walk you through my process of painting a Thai angel statue using just four colors over an intuitive watercolor wash. From embracing the "ugly phase" to strategically lifting pigment for highlights, you'll discover how to let watercolor's natural properties create magic on your paper while maintaining control of your composition.
Creating a Dreamy Mossy Mushroom Forest: Experimental Watercolor Spray Techniques
When experimenting with watercolor techniques, sometimes the most magical results come from pushing your materials in unexpected ways. In this tutorial, I'll show you how I created a dreamy mossy mushroom forest using thick pigment application and spray bottle techniques on inexpensive Fabriano cold press paper. The resulting textures and atmospheric effects might just inspire you to try something new in your own watercolor practice...
Painting a Loose, Vibrant Sun Conure: Letting Watercolor Work Its Magic
When a new email subscriber mentioned having a sun conure as a pet, I realized it had been years since I'd painted one of these beautiful, colorful birds. With no pencil sketching and just my watercolors at hand, I set out to create a loose, vibrant painting that captures the essence of these magnificent creatures. Here's my process for painting these vibrant birds using wet-into-wet techniques that let the watercolor do the work for you...
Quick Brush Miles: 10-Minute Spider Mums with a Dagger Brush
No time to paint? Think again! Discover how I squeezed in some essential "brush miles" by creating expressive spider mums with a Princeton Neptune dagger brush in under 10 minutes. Sometimes the shortest painting sessions yield the most valuable lessons!