A quick walk around the meadow this afternoon brought forth a small haul of mushrooms, nuts and berries, enough to turn my thoughts to squirrelly ones. So as well as squirrelling away blackberries and hazelnuts, we thought a couple of hungry little Squirrel Nutkin characters would be just right for Whimsical Watercolor Wednesday! These little…
Month: September 2021
Paint a Loose Sunflower, Bird and Bee
Late summer and the sunflowers are at their best – at least for the birds! Finches galore are feasting on the seeds to fatten themselves up for the winter! Let’s celebrate the fall season of riches with a beautiful sunny painting of a ripe sunflower, greenfinch and bumble bee! You can download the sketch for…
Easy Peasy Autumn Leaf Bookmarks in Watercolor – cute little gift idea – beginners step by step tutorial
If you’re looking for something really quick and easy to paint, with no stress or anxiety, try these little bookmarks. You only need a scrap of paper, one brush and a few odds and ends of paint to while away an hour or two creating something pretty. Why not give it a try today?
Paint a Pair of Fall Pheasants and Calico Corn Cobs
The fall is the time of year when all the bounty of the summer comes to fruition, whether pumpkin, corn cobs or pheasants, all are ripe for the picking. In England the pheasant shooting season is about to begin, and preparations for halloween and bonfire night begin. So let’s paint a pair of pheasants sitting…
Painting Chickadees and Oak Leaves in Watercolor
Everyone loves a chickadee, so here are six of them to paint! Perched in a row on a branch of autumnal colored oak and acorns, they are a cute family group just thinking about settling down for the night.
Painting Easy Loose Blue Butterflies
Butterflies are one of the most popular subjects for watercolor painters and the reason is clear – they can let you give free rein to your imagination, and allow you to make up whatever patterns and designs you wish! A scroll through Pinterest will reveal literally hundreds of thousands of versions of butterflies! Here today…
Painting a Hummingbird and Hibiscus Flowers
I think if we did a poll on the most popular bird to paint, and the best-loved visitor to summer gardens, the hummingbird would be a strong contender. Although we don’t have these cute little people in Europe where I live, I do remember them from time spent in the Caribbean and Florida, so it’s…
Five Ways to Paint a Hummingbird in Watercolor
About once a month I get the urge to paint a hummingbird. I’m going to show you how I painted the last five I have done, all of which are very different one from the other. So let’s look at Five Ways to Paint a Hummingbird in Watercolor. In general, a bird is easiest and…
Painting Crows in Elder Trees
This time of year you start to see crows roosting in the trees in the late evening as they begin to get ready for the night. With fewer leaves on the trees they are more visible than at other times of the year. They gather together for security and protection against predators and also to…
Painting Trees in Watercolor
by Diane Antone I have been painting trees in watercolor for many years. It has been an almost lifelong passion of mine, but the roots (excuse the pun) go back to around 1987 when I started to pick up my childhood hobby again after a considerable break while I had a young family. At that…
How to Paint an Autumn Tree
There are as many ways of rendering a tree as there are trees in a forest. In today’s video I decided to go for a really loose wash to indicate the bronzing foliage of September, and then drew the trunk and branches with a Staedtler Noris Aquarell black pencil. This gives a very realistic impression…
Paint a White Pine Cone in Watercolor
The white pine is the most elegant of trees, with its long, slim pine cone and the long, fine needles which form its leaves. There are so many ways this tree’s cones can be rendered in two dimensions, whether you choose watercolor, ink or any other medium. For this video I decided to start with…
Robin Redbreast for Christmas Cards
Christmas is always just around the corner for some of us. Preparations can begin immediately after the summer holidays, and why not, if one of the things you love to do is paint your own holiday greetings cards. Nothing says “I love you” better than a handmade gift or card, so why not get started…
Red Cardinals and Red Breasts in Watercolor
Warming up to the holidays what could be better than a loose watercolor painting of pairs of Red Cardinals and Red Breasts (otherwise known as Robins!) Watch the video below to see a step by step real time tutorial showing you how I painted these little birds. I used a sheet of Clairefontaine Etival watercolor…
Swallows and Seedheads in Blue and Gold
Swallows and Seedheads in Blue and Gold ink and paint are a striking image for the end of summer in the northern hemisphere, when the swallows depart to return home to North Africa, and the flowers turn to seeds in preparation for the dormancy of winter.
Sketching Seeds and Grasses
Seeds and their cases and pods are hugely varied and fascinating subjects to draw and paint.
Fun with Flowers
Looking for something really quick and easy for you to paint today, I created these simple, easy and colorful flowers.
Capturing a Hare in Watercolor
Here’s my latest video tutorial on YouTube showing you how to paint a loose, colorful hare, sure to please all animal lovers. You can download the sketch free of charge from here.