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Hi it's Anna Mason. In this video I wanted to show you the process I
went through to paint this vibrant Kingfisher bird. It was a great example of how,
when you're aiming for realism, it really pays to work in layers letting each layer dry before applying the next.
I began by mapping out a pale, watery version of each of the main colours within the bird,
so that I could see what colour should go where Including the bright orange sections
and then the bright turquoise blue sections for which I used a combination of Cobalt Turquoise
Light and Winsor Blue Green Shade, both by Winsor & Newton.
It would be impossible to mix a colour THIS vibrant and bright by adding a tiny bit of
yellow to a blue colour - you'd always get a more dull result which is why I love having
a big palette with enough colours that I can match to pretty much any vibrant colour in
nature and get a realistic result. Next I used a combination of Cobalt Blue and
French Ultramarine to map out the bright blue sections to the bird. But that wasn't ALL
there was in terms of colour. There were also some more dull, greyish turquoise blues and
then some darker bright blues and some grey colours, all of which needed to be added with
small brush strokes to start to create the impression of feathers.
Then I applied some of the mid blue colours, some purple greys to the beak and some deeper reds
to the head. Once the first layer of paint is totally
dry I went in with a second, thicker and therefore darker layer - beginning with the very darkest
black colours in the bird. From here it's easier to then judge how dark to take the
coloured areas and I worked through each of those colored areas - beginning with the grey-blues
and the darker bright blues, then the mid blues
and the more grey turquoises; before using a thicker, darker version of that lovely bright
turquoise blue to apply in short feathery brush strokes over and into all areas where
I could see that colour. By making sure that the layer underneath was dry I ensured that
the colours stayed bright and didn't mix and muddy on the paper.
I also darkened up the orange sections and the beak and branch
before once again going back to each colour area and adding a further layer to darken
and add more feathery texture where it was needed. By working in this layered way and with these
bright, vibrant paints, you can achieve ALL the colour variation you see in a complex
subject like this Kingfisher and also make sure that you get the tonal, or value balance
correct so that it's got realistic 3D form.
A full video class of this Kingfisher including
details of all the colour mixes I used is available now in my online School.
If you've enjoyed this video, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and I'd love it if you'd
share it with your friends. And if you'd like to take one of my full length
video classes FOR FREE, please visit AnnaMasonArt.com where you'll find even more resources to help
you pick up your brush and paint the way you've always wanted to.
Remember, you won't improve your painting unless you MAKE the time to paint. So be sure
to schedule in some me-time this week and paint something YOU love.
Thanks so much for watching and I'll see you soon with another tip for creating watercolours
with 'wow'.