When sketching out something I will eventually paint or add color too, an important thing I need to consider is what colors will go well together and how will they convey the message I’m trying to give. To be clear, when I say message, I usually mean what is the vibe or feeling I’m getting from it. Is it mysterious and dark, or lighthearted and warm, or do I want to evoke a sense of longing or bittersweet.
In this image, I had a reference photo that I was just kind of sketching and thought adding some color would be fun! The colors I chose were on the warmer side with a few cools thrown in. I didn’t want to use bright colors for that would give a more passionate message and that wasn’t what I was going for.
Using the type of medium can also get a message across. For this piece I wanted to use watercolor because it gave it a soft feel. Watering down acrylics would work just as well. The watercolor paints that I use are Arteza. They are brighter and better quality than the ones that I was using before, which were the typical hard watercolors found at Walmart. The brushes I enjoy using are Princeton Velvetouch and master’s Touch synthetic squirrel hair. The Princeton are my particular favorites because they are soft and the bristles are longer and straighter, keeping the nice point, which is my preference. The watercolor paper I usually use is Canson, cold press, but for this project I used a mixed media sketch pad which holds watercolors just as well.
For acrylic paints, I use the brand Master’s Touch, but I enjoy experimenting around and seeing what pigments I enjoy using the most. The thicker the paint the better for me. My acrylic brushes include Master’s Touch hog hair. I think any brushes will work splendidly, it’s just a matter of experimenting and picking your preference.
For this project, I used a light base coat and slowly added on shadows and highlights. Deciding how much shading to be done also plays a part in saying a message within art. I decided to keep them both light in this composition. Overall, my goal was to give a sweet, peaceful feeling. You be the judge if I accomplished it 😉