Editor Weekly Choice

Watercolor Class Preview: How to paint an animal portrait from start to finish How to sketch effectively from a reference photo Why drawing simple shapes when you first begin your drawing Why it is best to draw lightly and not too heavy when making your sketch Why it is important to start with the light color values first and working your way to the darker values as you go How to create animal fur texture using a special brush technique How to create a focal point in order to bring attention to your painting How squinting can help you see the...

Watercolor Class Preview: Kung gives a live lesson to a live audience, complete with questions and comments from the audience How to paint a shiny surface (apple) versus a fuzzy surface (kiwi) Learn about the qualities to consider when choosing your subject, composition, and color scheme How to draw a sketch from a still life before you begin painting Learn why it is best to not draw your initial sketch too heavily Learn about angles and how to measure them with a still life Why it is important to mix masking fluid well before using it How to protect your...

Watercolor Class Preview: Kung gives a live lesson to a live audience, complete with questions from the audience Learn to paint a photo-realistic white fox How to plan your painting from light values to dark values How to preserve parts of white paper using liquid frisket before you begin painting How to prep and protect a paintbrush with liquid soap before using it with liquid frisket Learn about the differences, pros, and cons of natural hair and synthetic paintbrushes How to wet your pallet of colors with a spray bottle before you begin painting How to prep your watercolor paper with...

Watercolor Class Preview: How to transfer a sketch from tracing paper to watercolor paper How to mix shades of red for a rose with warm and cool colors How to paint rose petals with gradients, shadows, and highlights How to create hard and soft edges How to soften lines with water and/or tissue When to paint wet-on-wet and when to paint wet-on-dry Why you may want your paint to dry before continuing to the next step How to overlap petals How to lighten colors with just water, a scrub brush, and kleenex How to make the rose pop out against the...

Watercolor Class Preview: How to do a still-life painting How to prevent your wet paper from buckling when it dries How to paint a bouquet of tulip flowers Why painting petals on different flowers one at a time produces better results How to paint close-up glass containers How to plan a painting with lots of different elements How to paint highlights and shadows How to paint an egg How to paint a lemon What colors to use for painting metallic surfaces When to use painter’s tape and masking fluid How to paint leaves How to avoid mixing unnatural green colors...

Watercolor Class Preview: Why 300 lb paper is sometimes a better option than 140 lb paper. How to paint close-up flowers. Why certain brushes are more suitable for certain jobs. Why tilting your canvas can create special effects. How to balance a loose look with a more refined look. How to paint a close-up rose from start to finish. What negative painting is and how to practice it. How to make adjustments by lifting paint. How to use the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to bring back a white area. How to scrape highlights onto leaves. How to avoid overworking your painting. Reference Photo  ...

Watercolor Class Preview: How to paint with yupo paper. How to paint fuschia flowers. How to use a stiff brush for background effects. How to paint interesting, but not distracting, backgrounds. How to connect your background to your foreground with color. How to use an X-Acto knife to score in lines. How to lift paint off yupo paper. When to wait for paint to dry before continuing with yupo paper.    

Watercolor Class Preview: How to prepare color schemes for plein air paintings. Why you want to scribble an initial thumbnail sketch. How to pick the right size of watercolor paper for plein air. Why temperature and wind should influence your planning. How to paint fields. How to paint trees. How to paint shadows. How to paint clouds. How to paint blue skies. When to let paint dry before continuing. How to paint mountains.     Reference Photo     Initial Sketch         Final Painting         What does yours look like? Send it to us via a...