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Description
Voilá! I really wanted to create a tutorial for this technique I've learned to love: watercolors! Personally, I think watercolors are so under-rated... We avoid touching them because they can be messy, the mistakes are harder to hide (arrgh!) they dry-up quickly and of course, because most of the time, it's hard to tell when we need to use this or that to create an effect we want.

Before you see the full view, please be aware that this is a very large file. For those of you who have a dial-up connection or a low-speed connection, I've uploaded the tutorial divided in sections here: [link]
Note: please let me know if this is useful for you! If you use this, I'd love to see your results!

Now, here are some general tips for you:

Keep your brushes clean and dry! A low-quality brush, or brushes with a bad hair day, will surely hamper the quality of your final picture.
Protect the surface you work on! It'll save you lots of trouble and it will also keep your picture clean.
Use rich, opaque colors. Personally, I recommend Pelikan. They are from Germany and these can be a bit pricy, but they last for months or years! Think of it as a good investment. [link]
Strech your watercolor paper before you use it! This will keep the color in its place and it will prevent the paper from getting annoyingly curled.
Keep the paper in its place with scoth tape, preferably 'magic tape', as it doesn't harm the paper or rip the edges of the surface you put it on.
For thinner strokes and special effects, you can always use watercolor pencils. I recomend Faber Castell: [link]
The background goes before anything else! It will be much easier for you. Exception to the rule: black or dark backgrounds. They should be done at the end.
Water is your friend! For lighter colors, use more water. Don't forget to dry the excess of water with a tissue before you start painting. The lighter colors go first, then add the heavier colors.
And remember: Ink is your friend! You can use it to create contrasts and all sorts of effects you can think of!

Don't be afraid to experiment and adapt to the technique as you feel more confident with your skills. This is just the way I do it, you don't need to do it exactly as I did. Find your own way with watercolors and enjoy the process!

Have fun!

Description
Voilá! I really wanted to create a tutorial for this technique I've learned to love: watercolors! Personally, I think watercolors are so under-rated... We avoid touching them because they can be messy, the mistakes are harder to hide (arrgh!) they dry-up quickly and of course, because most of the time, it's hard to tell when we need to use this or that to create an effect we want.

Before you see the full view, please be aware that this is a very large file. For those of you who have a dial-up connection or a low-speed connection, I've uploaded the tutorial divided in sections here: [link]
Note: please let me know if this is useful for you! If you use this, I'd love to see your results!

Now, here are some general tips for you:

Keep your brushes clean and dry! A low-quality brush, or brushes with a bad hair day, will surely hamper the quality of your final picture.
Protect the surface you work on! It'll save you lots of trouble and it will also keep your picture clean.
Use rich, opaque colors. Personally, I recommend Pelikan. They are from Germany and these can be a bit pricy, but they last for months or years! Think of it as a good investment. [link]
Strech your watercolor paper before you use it! This will keep the color in its place and it will prevent the paper from getting annoyingly curled.
Keep the paper in its place with scoth tape, preferably 'magic tape', as it doesn't harm the paper or rip the edges of the surface you put it on.
For thinner strokes and special effects, you can always use watercolor pencils. I recomend Faber Castell: [link]
The background goes before anything else! It will be much easier for you. Exception to the rule: black or dark backgrounds. They should be done at the end.
Water is your friend! For lighter colors, use more water. Don't forget to dry the excess of water with a tissue before you start painting. The lighter colors go first, then add the heavier colors.
And remember: Ink is your friend! You can use it to create contrasts and all sorts of effects you can think of!

Don't be afraid to experiment and adapt to the technique as you feel more confident with your skills. This is just the way I do it, you don't need to do it exactly as I did. Find your own way with watercolors and enjoy the process!

Have fun!