A Beginner's Guide to Drawing and Painting Water

(Also available on Skillshare)

In this class you will learn the basics of capturing water in lots of different ways. Everything from oceans, shores, waves, and waterfalls. This a beginner-friendly course that will get you started painting this beautiful element! You can use the repeatable strategies I share with you in so many ways and different paintings.

I’ll demonstrate how to paint water with digital, watercolor, and gouache so that no matter what you prefer to paint with you can incorporate these techniques into your practice.

You’ll also receive several beautiful reference photos and all of my show notes so you can reference them at any point in the future.

The goal of this course is to break it down to it’s basics and understand the variety of approaches to capturing this beautiful element so that when you go outside to paint, you are less overwhelmed and more comfortable in your practice.

Course Outline

• Intro
• Basics of Water
• Moving Water
• Reflections
• Waves
• Waterfalls
• Drawing Water
• Watercolor Techniques
• Gouache Techniques
• Final Thoughts

Materials Used in This Class

Drawing:

• Mechanical Pencil or 2B Graphite Pencil
• General’s (and) Derwent White Charcoal
• White computer paper
• Strathmore 400 Series Toned Paper
• Hi-Polymer Eraser & Soft Kneaded Eraser
• Blending Stick
• Tissue

Watercolor Materials:

• Arches Cold Pressed Paper and Strathmore Postcard Paper
• Silver Black Velvet #12 Round Brush
• Daler Rowney ¾” Aquafine Flat Brush
• Colors: Schmincke and Sennelier Brand
• Mainly Ultramarine Blue Finest, Neutral Tint, Potter’s Pink

Gouache Materials:

• Holbein Artist’s Gouache
• Cheap Flat Brushes
• Fabriano Artistico Hot Pressed Paper
• Small Palette Knife
• Colors: Cerulean Blue, Titanium White, Black

Digital Paint:

• iPad 12.9 inch
• Procreate 5.0
• Apple Pencil