Watercolor in 2 (ish) Layers: Growing a Silhouette Shape + Sculpting Shadows
July 6, 2018
Here’s a bit longer demo (10ish minutes), showing how to grow a silhouette shape with plenty of color variation – which, you intend to cover later with a shadow shape.
This is another sculptural subject, but of course, this is the same way I’d paint anything, from a landscape, to an architectural subject.
Enjoy! And I hope you’ll find this combination of base layer + shadow can help you get more solid looking objects in your own work.
Thanks, ~m
11 Comments
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Citizen Sketcher 
Thank’s very usefull :-)
Thanks, Marc!
Wow, very informative! Would you do the same thing when working from a live model?
Yes, pretty much – except that if you’re doing a fast pose, you sometimes can’t wait for the silhouette to be fully dry – so they come out more wet looking.:https://citizensketcher.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/wet-in-wet-watercolor-figure-drawing-marc-taro-holmes-1.jpg
Wow, that was terrific! Would you do the same thing when working from a live model?
Gosh I feel like I learn so much with your videos. You really know how to break it down to understandable ideas.
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing!
Wonderful video. Can you tell us the sepia marker you used in part of the demo?
Thanks.
Thanks for the tutorial. So interesting, always, to see others’ techniques. So good!
Hello,
Couple of questions:
The broad nib you used seemed to flow the ink so nicely- I have what I bought is a broad nib, C-1 is stamped on it) but not getting the smooth flow you demonstrate in your painting of the shadows-
Also, DS Turquoise is listed as a color you used- when I looked at a list of DS colors there are a few turquoises…Phthalo turquoise, Ultramarine turquoise, sleeping beauty, and cobalt turquoise. Do you have the name? It is really a beautiful color! Thank you ever so much for your time.
finding this tutorial very clear and helpful! Thank you!!
Hi Marc,
In your new book – which I’m loving btw – you list the DaVinci #5 oval wash as one of your mainstay brushes. Can you tell me where I might be able to track one down? I checked online and have pretty much come up empty.
Thanks!
Nicole