This mystical painting is quick and easy to do with the help of DANIEL SMITH Primatek colors. But if you don’t have them, I suggest alternative colors below.

The first full moon of each year, occurring in January, is traditionally known as the WOLF MOON. Reasons for this include the fact that in the US the native wolves would tend to howl more loudly and more often around the time of the January full moon, although the reason for this is not really known.

I decided to try to depict a howling wolf against a starry sky, with the full Wolf Moon as a prominent feature agains the dark background.

Materials used for this Wolf Moon Watercolor Painting with Daniel Smith Primatek Colors

I painted this picture on a sheet of 140lb Bockingford NOT watercolor paper, and the finished size of the work is 6½ inches square. I used Faber Castel pens (Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen Set – Black Wallet Set, Set of 4, Assorted Nibs) to create the silhouette of the wolf. I painted with a size 12 synthetic round brush. My palette consisted of the Daniel Smith starter set of Primatek colors mentioned below.

Here are Dick Blick links to some of my materials.

Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen Set – Black Wallet Set, Set of 4, Assorted Nibs Pigmented India Ink in multiple nib sizes and 58 colors brings great versatility to pen-and-ink drawings requiring lots of intricate details. The ink is waterproof, unsurpassably lightfast, acid-free, and pH-neutral. – Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen Set – Black Wallet Set, Set of 4, Assorted Nibs

Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor – PrimaTek Set, 5 ml Tube Available in an astounding range of colors, Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors are made by hand in Seattle, Washington. This superior-quality watercolor line includes historical hues, amazing earths, and some of the brightest and boldest quinacridones ever formulated. – Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor – PrimaTek Set, 5 ml Tube

Princeton Snap! White Taklon Brush – Round, Short Handle, Size 10 Fun, but not frivolous, Snap! White Taklon Short Handle brushes from Princeton Artist Brush Co. are high-quality artist tools. – Princeton Snap! White Taklon Brush – Round, Short Handle, Size 10

Daniel Smith Primatek Colors

I received a pack of these colors as a birthday gift last September and was very excited to try them out. I discovered that they have a few characteristics that many other paints don’t have. The principle one is that they don’t mix and mingle on wet paper as easily as ordinary watercolor paints. I think this is because the pigment particles are heavier than average, so they tend to sink into the indentations of the paper and sit there, rather than wandering aimlessly around the paper and blending with the other colors they meet.

This can have pluses and minuses. If you are used to colors blending easily when you do wet in wet variegated washes, you could be surprised, as I was, at the way this paint behaves. You might decide you have made a mess worse than the average toddler would create, and bin the thing without any hesitation.

However, it’s worth hanging in there. The first time I tried this, I sprinkled my muddy mess with salt and let it dry and was pleasantly surprised by the result. Watch for my next video to see how it turned out: Wolf Moon Watercolor Painting with Daniel Smith Primatek Colors

So, the Daniel Smith colors I used were Maya Blue, Jadeite, Amethyst, Hematite, Piemontite and Rhondonite. Equivalent colors in regular paint sets would be, in the same order, Pthalo Blue, Viridian Green, Winsor Violet, Mars Black, Potters Pink and Permanent Rose. If you add a little bit of Mars black to each of the other colors, you will mute them and cause them to granulate, giving a similar effect to the Daniel Smith special colors.

Wolf Moon Watercolor Painting with Daniel Smith Primatek Colors

How to Paint a Wolf Moon