Watercolor Painting and Framing the Calla Lili
Step-by-step watercolor still-life painting demonstration
This free lesson provided by Mary Churchill
Click here to learn about artist and teacher Mary Churchill
Painting the vase and flowers
Next I paint the vase. I must think about which direction the light would come from. This is important here for shadows and highlights on the vase. I can paint the entire vase and quickly remove with a dry brush, those spaces for highlights. I usually do not cover the highlight areas with dark pigment, since this can be difficult to remove. This area will need a lighter coloration on the highlight space. Remember to do this part with soft edges only. Watercolor is easy to blend to make soft-edges.
After the first background layer is painted, I will paint in the green leaves and filler materials. The second layer of background color now will be more accurately finished. Now again, firm out the leaves and stems. At this point I paint the flowers with shading and highlights.
White objects are usually painted carefully using Paynes Gray because it is wonderful for shadows. This color can be extremely dark or very light, using more and more water.
