Expressive Watercolor Portraits

Start your course by meeting visual artist Arthur Braud. He begins by sharing his background as a creator and some sources he uses for searching out inspiration. Arthur explains how he uses watercolor portraiture to form new connections, and how you can use your own work to inspire others to follow their journey.

Explore the fundamentals of watercolor painting, then go through Arthur’s creative process from start to finish. Learn how to effectively brainstorm new ideas for your paintings and how to create thumbnail sketches before deciding on a final concept. Then, get familiar with the materials you will be using, including your paints, brushes, paper, and other basic materials. Practice essential watercolor techniques, understand color theory, and explore the fundamentals of drawing an anatomically correct face.

Next, learn how to transfer a computer drawing onto a piece of paper. Once you’ve sketched the outline with pencil, start applying water and paint. Add some subtle first layers in warm and cool tones as a way of mapping out shadows, highlights, and facial features. Then focus on the eyes before moving on to the nose and mouth. Explore the shadows, shapes, and proportions of each facial feature before discussing skin tones.

Now add the final touches to your painting. Arthur shows you how to draw on top of your painting using a small brush to paint the fine details. Then see how to boost the contrast of your work by focusing on the darker areas. Finally, learn how to add extra movement, texture, and emotion to your painting using a dry brush for retouching eyelashes, hair, and other small details in your portrait.