Labrador Retriever Tutorial
Watercolor Painting Tutorial

Painting Demonstration 1

First, I sketch out the painting.

Remember in watercolor you're just sketching quickly. Add too much detail and you'll have a boring painting!

Painting Demonstration 2

The base of this painting is done in one wash. I use a ton of quinacridone gold in light values and in dark. It's very important that at this stage the dog's edges blur into the shadows. That will connect them later on. I also want to make certain the highlights remain crisp white. On any subject, it's easier to leave more white than to try to get it back.

Painting Demonstration 3

I add details and darken the shadows in this wash.

The dog's face is carefully painted. I'm still being cautious over whites.

I decide the little tree stump going straight up is way too distracting so I break it up and change some angles, redirecting the viewer's eye back into the painting.

Painting Demonstration 4

Here I blur some more details that were too distracting and add others where needed. The tree in the upper section gets blurred a bit.