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PAINT A STILL LIFE IN WATERCOLOUR
Learn how to paint a still life with watercolour and discover a mixed media technique using ink in our video tutorial with artist Ewa Karpinska.
HOW TO PAINT A STILL LIFE WITH WATERCOLOUR?
THE SKETCH
Begin the composition by drawing the contours of the objects with a pencil.
PREPARING THE PAPER
Dampen the back of the paper with a wet Spalter Brush. Use diluted Nan-King Black Ink to add the dark background and shadows to the painting. After drying, this surface is indelible. Dampen the support a second time and apply water to the back side of the paper again, then, apply water to the inked surface.
CREATING VOLUME
Apply Cadmium Orange on the fruit using a Squirrel Hair Brush, then work the dark background in Sepia mixed with Intense Blue. Add detail with the different, less diluted reds. This step adds volume to the painting’s subject. To add light, use flat and fine round brushes with diluted colours to add volume to the shapes.
DISCOVER MIXED MEDIA
Watercolour can be combined with other techniques to create effects, especially with Indian black ink which can be diluted with water and is indelible once dry. It can be used before painting with watercolour, to draw shapes with a quill or compose work in grey scale. Ink can also be applied on top of watercolour to create shadows.
The Lefranc Bourgeois’s Nan King ink is an indelible liquid black ink that is highly resistant to fading and comes in a deep black that can be used pure for calligraphy and drawing or diluted with water. It is an acrylic ink made with black pigment.
