Van Gogh Seagull by Mona Lieze
Hey guys! I know it’s cold out there, so I thought, what better place to go in our creative minds than the beach! Secondly, who doesn’t love a little bit of Van Gogh?!
So, hey!
… Let’s, Gogh!
- Here’s what we’ll need:
- Some watercolour brushes, round 1 and 8 for detail… and a flat 12 for the background wash
- Watercolour or multimedia paper. I used an A5, but you can go larger if preferred
- Some clean water in a container (replenish as required), especially between colour shifts, to keep it pristine!
- A Soft Eraser… Mont Marte has some lovely ones indeed!
- An HB pencil..sketch sketch.
- Masking Fluid, and some soapy hot water to clean it with.
- A paint pan to mix your paint
- And last but not least, my favourite! Windsor and Newton /(insert brand…) gouache paint! (primary set)
- Great, let’s get cracking! HB pencil, eraser. Let’s get this drawing on the mooove! Well, start with the bird’s wings and work our way through the body. A little bum, a neck and some little feathers for oomff. Legs! And a quirky little smile …, I’m on holiday already!
Some squiggly clouds here and there .. a moon, aaand Bob’s your uncle!
- Fantastic! Now we can get the show on the road.
MASKING FLUID! Some arty Magic! Get that bottle out and shake it as you mean it. Use your small round brush and lather on some gummy goodness onto all of the white spaces. Be sure to work those details – it all comes back to you in the end, my friend!
- Make sure it’s dry… TA-DA! Now we can get messy! What we’ve all been waiting for is Painting Time! Squeeze them paints in little dollops in your pans- and leave some space to mix! All primaries in the pans- blue, black, white, yellow and red. It’s a party. Let’s mix a darker blue…
Great! Ready to go!
- We’ll start with a background wash in a deep blue. Start around the edges and work your way in, adding more and more water to shade where the light would glow in the centre.
- Now, for the relaxing part.. let’s get lost in the shading. Any round brush will do!
Notice how we create light with shades of cool and warm in little swabs of our brushes. Use a circular motion to create the ambience of an evening sky. Blend out your colours with white and let your little brush dance across the page. Ooh, the satisfaction.
Repeat this with different shades as desired.
- Ooohh, my favourite part! The BIG REVEAL. Once you’re happy with your result, peel back that masking fluid with your eraser. Don’t you just love it!
- If you have OCD, get the lines crispy with a little bit of blue background shade again. Make corrections as you see fit.
- Now, time for detail. An orange little beak swoosh a tiny line of red to its bottom to create the shading. Some eyes and teeth and a little bit of cherry on the cheek.
Repeat the orange and red recipe on the feet and make a cheesy moon. Make sure you add a little gradient as you mix your yellowy-orange tones. Some flashy feathers…
Add some light blue shading to add some oomph to all fluffy surfaces. And to top it off, add white edging for that nightly shimmer.
- Hoo Haa! You did it, you champ!
Now to show off your masterpiece to the world!
Greets from Mona Lieze Studio!
