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WATERCOLOR LESSON 1

Macaw with Marilyn Grame

You can render the diverse textures of animal fur, hair, and feathers with a few simple watercolor techniques. Wet-into-wet washes provide a soft, smooth appearance, which makes them ideal for depicting animals at a distance or for duplicating the look of soft down. Multiple layers of drybrush create a rough texture similar to thick fur, whereas individual strokes with a thin, round brush reproduce the lines of fine hair. In this bright portrait of a macaw, Marilyn Grame has combined a variety of techniques to create interest in the background and to provide a contrast to the finely rendered texture of the feathers.

WHAT YOU NEED

BRUSHES:

• medium round brush

• small round brush

• large flat brush ...