WOW! 🤩 The Unexpected Color That Makes Autumn Watercolors GLOW! Step-by-Step Tutorial, by Liesl's Artistic Studio: Watercolor on YouTube. 32 min 31 s.
- Video length
- 32 min 31 s
- Time to do it
- 45 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Tape your paper to a board with artist tape so it stays flat while you work wet. Keep the tape edges firm to get a clean white border.
Sketch the tree trunks and main branch lines lightly with a mechanical pencil. Keep the lines faint, since graphite can show through thin washes.
Mix your warm autumn colors in separate wells: gamboge for bright yellow, raw sienna for gold, and burnt umber for deep orange and brown.
Mix one cool tone, ultramarine blue or Payne's gray, and keep it weak. This is the surprise color that makes the warm leaves look like they are lit from inside.
Paint the yellow and gold foliage first with a size 6 round brush. Leave small gaps of white paper so light shows through the leaves.
Drop the cool blue-gray into the shadow side of the foliage while the wash is still damp. Let the two colors blend on the paper instead of stirring them in the palette.
Let the first layer dry completely, then add burnt umber and raw sienna on top for deeper leaves. Dry layers keep the edges crisp.
Paint the trunks with a size 3 round brush and a rigger for thin branches. Use a dry brush with little water for rough bark texture.
Add a soft cool shadow under the trees and along one side of each trunk. Keep shadows out of the sunlit areas so the glow stays strong.
Let everything dry fully before you peel off the tape. Pull the tape slowly and at a low angle so the paper does not tear.
Tips and common mistakes
Too much blue stirred into orange turns the mix muddy, so let the cool color touch the warm wash on paper instead of in the palette.
Test every mix on a scrap of the same paper first, because tube paints look darker wet than dry.
Keep the cool tone out of the brightest lit leaves so it reads as shadow, not dirt.
Wet a small area before dropping in color, and stop touching it once the pigment starts to settle.
Questions
Which color makes autumn watercolors glow?
A cool blue or blue-gray, such as ultramarine blue or Payne's gray. Placed next to warm yellows and oranges, it makes them look warmer and brighter by contrast.
Why do my autumn colors turn muddy?
Usually because you mix opposite colors together too much, or paint over a wash that is still wet. Rinse your brush between colors and let each layer dry.
Do I need masking fluid for the tree trunks?
No, but it helps if you want very thin pale trunks against a dark background. Brush it on, let it dry, paint over it, then rub it off with a clean finger.
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.
