Eversince I was a child, I already have this eagerness to hold a pencil and just scribble some lines. I remembered I have a bunch of notebooks where pages are just full of lines and scribbles. It was where it all started, from scribbles to shapes to characters. From those scribbles I found out an artist in me, I became fond of drawing especially cartoon characters that I love watching from cartoon network, disney channel, nickleodeon, and animax. Those were the days I started to develop my skills in drawing.
As I grow up I have tried many approach and mediums in making my artworks and when I entered college I decided to to learn and enhance my skills in watercoloring. I have watched so many video tutorials on youtube, different techniques and tips.
These are some of the watercolor techniques that I have used in my artworks
· Washes – there are two types of washes, dry and wet. Washes is basically painting the canvas with a wet or dry brush with any color you prefer. It is usually done for backgroud and gradient effects.
· Wet-on-wet painting – I like to use this technique for abstract effect, you can mix and and add color while the first layer of watercolor is still wet. It gives the artist an unexpected results leaving the water do the work.
· Splattering – I always use this techniques when I do galaxies or night skies. You just dip the brush in color and splatter it in the paper to mimic the stars.
· Lifting – I use this technique mostly on clouds to create that effect of light and dark. You use a tissue paper to lift the colors on some portions.
I also started to try doing portraits using watercolor. Self learning was never easy and after watching so many youtube tutorial I found Artists that become my favorite when it comes to sketching and watercoloring. There’s humid_peach, her real name is Ksenia Kondyleva, a Russian artist who shares her drawing process on YouTube. Kelogsloops he specializes in watercolor paintings with abstract and surreal styles. You can feel the emotions in every action shown of the characters he draw. Efrain Malo, a Mexican artist who sketches with impressive visuals using pencil. I love the way he uses hatching to add details and emphasis to his drawing. These are some of the artist that I’m really a fan of and has a big influence in my artstyle.
Here are some of the watercolor portraits that I made
This is Legolas from the film series Lord of the Rings. I did not put much effort on the hair details because I was so impatient and I wanted to finish it badly. But after that I realized that good art takes time. You can’t rush something and expect it to turn out good. Every effort and time you put on your artwork pays off.
Daenerys Targaryen from the game of thrones. I struggled here sketching the lips, I can’t remember how many times I had to redraw her lips because I was not satisfied with how it looked. You should also watch Game of Thrones it’s a worth watching series.
I tried to find a reference in Malo’s sketches and render it with watercolor and this is the outcome. I also used unipin fineliners to add more details and emphasis on the facial structure. I also tried adding geometric background and used the wet-on-wet technique to add some effect.
Trying new things and being good at it is never easy, it is a long process that needs determination and perseverance and have to dedicate time for practice. I’m glad and proud that I tried to teach myself a new skill that is also beneficial for as it boosts my confidence as an artist. For those who also want to try new things and explore, please don’t hesitate you know what they always say “there’s no harm in trying”.
https://medium.com/the-tripple-effect/fortuitous-ec3ae608b86a
