Halloween watercolor portrait painting - Wednesday Addams, by Vacabalo on YouTube. 26 min 45 s.
- Video length
- 26 min 45 s
- Time to do it
- 2 hours
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Choose a clear reference photo and sketch the head lightly in pencil on 300gsm cold-pressed cotton paper. Keep the features small, with the eyes about halfway down the head.
Mix a weak grey-violet wash for the skin. Her complexion is cool and pale, so keep the pigment thin and test the colour on a scrap of the same paper first.
Brush the first wash over the face, neck and ears while the paper is damp. Stop before the mix pools, then let the paper dry completely.
Build the shadows in the eye sockets, beside the nose, along the jaw and under the chin with a slightly stronger grey-violet. Soften hard edges with a clean, damp brush.
Paint the eyes and eyebrows. Keep the lids heavy and the gaze flat and unsmiling, then darken the pupils once the first layer is dry.
Add the lips in a muted plum and leave a thin gap of bare paper for the highlight. Keep the mouth line straight and narrow.
Paint the hair in strong black layers, following the direction of the braids with a rigger brush. Leave small shapes of white paper untouched for the shine.
Deepen the darkest accents last: nostrils, lip line, hairline and the shadow under the collar. Step back and check the light and dark values before you stop.
Tips and common mistakes
Let each layer dry fully, because painting into a damp layer lifts the colour underneath and turns shadows muddy.
Watercolor dries lighter than it looks when wet, so test skin mixes on scrap paper before you touch the face.
Save the brightest paper for highlights, since you cannot paint white back over a dark wash.
Work from light to dark every time, as dark pigment stains cotton paper and is very hard to lift.
Questions
Do I need professional paints for this?
No. Student-grade tubes work fine for a portrait like this. The paper matters more, so use 300gsm cotton if you can.
How do I stop the skin from going muddy?
Limit yourself to one or two cool pigments for the skin, keep the mixes weak, and let each layer dry before adding the next.
What if I struggle to draw the face?
Practise a simple proportion sketch first. Place the eyes halfway down the head, then space the nose and mouth below them before you paint.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
