Art Therapy

Lieze’s Tutorial on Watercolour Painting a Hedgehog

Couch sitting? Not sure what to do with yourself or that person next to you anymore? Lockdown has been hard on all of us; let’s face it, a stern dose of dopamine would be good right about now, right?

Don’t fear!  My friend, the hedgehog, is near!

As an artist, I do love a challenge. A lover of illustration work, I thought it would be perfect for trying out some watercolours to test my skills.  It’s a fantastical medium to use when illustrating, giving you pigment brilliance and lovely textures to play with, not to mention long-lasting radiance!  A good quality watercolour can last a few lifetimes.

Having done all this magical work ahead of you, I will kindly teach you the ropes of my creative workout and philosophical findings! Working with watercolour is a great way to find out what kind of person you would be in relationships. It tests a wild array of your being.

For instance, fine motor skills, magical colour picking, blending, adding textures…Because it is translucent, it really shows you all the flaws.

Picking up any brush can be daunting, but when that blank watercolour paper stares you right in the face, you know curling up in a ball sure sounds like just the thing to do – you’re vulnerable, oh yes! But BRAVO! For your high standards! Your excellence will be duly witnessed.

The secret here is being KIND to yourself.  Knowing that pure pigment suspended blob-swooshes of water, just like that person next to you on the couch,  has its own direction in life – don’t try to control it too much, work WITH it! (or he or she ehem!)

This brings us to the single most important skill…intense…OBSERVATION!

First: find some great inspiration… What do hedgehogs do? Well, lots of things are involved like berries, leaves, bathing and forests, gallivanting, annnnd SNAILS! Great! Now we just need to draw all of that, and then we can start our painting!

What you’ll need for drawing:
  • A couch
  • Coffee
  • HB pencil
  • Eraser
  • Some pictures for inspiration
  • Watercolour  paper

OK! Let’s see…Hedgehogs are kind of spherical shaped. Add a snout, some beady eyes, paws and some quills on the side, and bob’s your uncle!

See: first, draw the basic shapes, and then add some details.

Do so with the snail and the rest of the foliage. Have fun! It’s your masterpiece so add whatever you want.  Use Pinterest for some inspiration; just don’t sell a downright copy. You’re welcome to follow mine.

See that was easy! Yep yep yep, you’re an artist already! Let’s go!

Now we’re ready to paint.

What you’ll need for painting:
  • Watercolours
  • A water container
  • Dishwashing liquid
  • Masking fluid
  • Eraser
  • Pallets for mixing
  • Patience
  • Fine liner
  • Cotton rounds for mistakes
  • Winsor & Newton Golden Ink or a gold pen for details (optional)
Watercolour brushes:
  • Size 10 mop brush
  • Size 4 & 8 flat brush
  • Size 4 & 8 round
  • Size 00 round brush for detail

Finding the right spot – good natural light or a daylight lamp is a must. Grab an extra watercolour page and water on the side. Once you’re set up at a desk where you can mess, grab a coffee, and you’re good to go! Let the games begin!

Now sit back, relax, and watch me show you how. All the best!

Artist: Lieze @Mona Lieze Studios

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