Here’s a step-by-step guide on painting a Kingfisher with watercolor.
First step is to prepare your materials: Printed line art on Arches Watercolor Paper, LifeAfterBreakfast Handmade Watercolors, Paint brush, Water in a cup, and Tissue.
Create an orange huge by mixing red and yellow on the mixing well of your ceramic palette. Make sure to use as little water as possible when you mix the colors
Create gradients on the bird’s chest. Apply pigment on one part of the chest, then dilute it with water.
Do the same for the bird’s beak and feet. Deepen the shadows by adding red for the feet, and adding a small amount of of blue pigment on the beak. Then blend it out with water.
Next, create tiny gradients for the bird’s feathers. Skip feathers–make sure to let each feather shape dry before painting next to it, so that they don’t bleed into each other.
Continue painting until all feathers are colored.
Then add a light, watery wash of blue on the bird’s head and back.
Add highlight detail on the bird’s head by applying a layer of paint, leaving out areas that you’d like to be light.
Allow all the paint layers to dry, then using the thinnest tip of the brush, apply creamy pigment to add details on the feathers.
Let the layers dry again, then check if you’d like to deepen any shadows.
Create a darker neutral hue by mixing blue and brown.
Paint the eyes, making sure to leave a white spot in the center.
Enjoy painting!
