How to Paint a Watercolor Cat in a Window with a View
Draw on an 11 x 14" sheet of watercolor paper, in pencil, using a ruler, a window., Look at pictures of sleeping cats on the Internet., Draw a cat reclining on the good watercolor paper in pencil., Activate your paints and begin painting, starting...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Draw on an 11 x 14" sheet of watercolor paper
It can be as simple as a rectangle on the page or ornate with layers of molding, or with the panes divided into smaller rectangles.
These lines must be done carefully to be straight and lined up with the borders of your paper, so use a ruler.
Make the window large enough so that you can see an outdoor scene out the window.
If the holidays are near, decorate with swags or colorful ornaments. -
Step 2: in pencil
Or, if you are so lucky, study your own sleeping cat.
Make sketches in a sketch book comprised of ordinary paper so you can draw freely and a lot. , Have him stretched out on the window sill so he covers a lot of it. , Try a flat brush to do the molding and have the width of the brush match the width of the molding so you can do the long strips in one pass, stopping to recharge your brush as often as necessary. , Allow the water to get into all parts of the cat's silhouette and have enough water so it stands up slightly off the page.
This insures the water will carry the paint to all parts that you have wet. , Diluting it too much will make it pale when dry.
If it dries too light, it is possible to do another layer, but wait until the piece dries thoroughly, not to disturb the paint already applied.
If the paint isn't moving well enough through the water, use the tip of a round brush to coax paint into all parts of the cat.
If you add more color into a wet wash, it has to be thicker paint.
Do spots or stripes on the cat's coat and shadows along his edges that way.
If you want to keep, for example, paws separate, leave a tiny dry dam of paper around the paw as you paint.
Wet paint will be attracted to wet paper and it will all flow together.
Let it dry thoroughly, first naturally, then with a hair dryer, if desired.
Do features, eyes, nose, whiskers, inner ears and more shadows on a dry cat shape. , Add additional strips of molding, building it up as many window frames have layered moldings.
Again, use a ruler for accuracy.
Mix a neutral color darker than the sill and swipe on a shadow under the cat.
Do it only once and leave it alone. , If your room is predominately warm colors, use cool hues for the outside.
The room will have many lines and angles, so think of using curvy lines for the outdoors.
Make things up, realism isn't necessarily the only way to go, so, use your imagination. , If you are stymied about what to put outside, stick close to home, and take a look out your windows.
Go through your collection of snapshots for something that sparks your interest. ,, -
Step 3: using a ruler
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Step 4: a window.
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Step 5: Look at pictures of sleeping cats on the Internet.
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Step 6: Draw a cat reclining on the good watercolor paper in pencil.
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Step 7: Activate your paints and begin painting
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Step 8: starting with the foreground
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Step 9: the interior view.
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Step 10: Paint the cat by carefully wetting the cat shape with a brush and clean water.
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Step 11: Pull tube colors for the cat onto your palette and dilute only slightly as the majority of the water is already on the cat shape.
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Step 12: Paint the window trims such as the sill under the cat and the moldings.
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Step 13: Look for contrasts in planning the outdoor scene that will be seen through the window.
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Step 14: Paint the scene outside.
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Step 15: Sketch the scene outside the window in pencil and paint it.
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Step 16: When finished
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Step 17: allow to dry well and stand it up to study it before making alterations of additions.
Detailed Guide
It can be as simple as a rectangle on the page or ornate with layers of molding, or with the panes divided into smaller rectangles.
These lines must be done carefully to be straight and lined up with the borders of your paper, so use a ruler.
Make the window large enough so that you can see an outdoor scene out the window.
If the holidays are near, decorate with swags or colorful ornaments.
Or, if you are so lucky, study your own sleeping cat.
Make sketches in a sketch book comprised of ordinary paper so you can draw freely and a lot. , Have him stretched out on the window sill so he covers a lot of it. , Try a flat brush to do the molding and have the width of the brush match the width of the molding so you can do the long strips in one pass, stopping to recharge your brush as often as necessary. , Allow the water to get into all parts of the cat's silhouette and have enough water so it stands up slightly off the page.
This insures the water will carry the paint to all parts that you have wet. , Diluting it too much will make it pale when dry.
If it dries too light, it is possible to do another layer, but wait until the piece dries thoroughly, not to disturb the paint already applied.
If the paint isn't moving well enough through the water, use the tip of a round brush to coax paint into all parts of the cat.
If you add more color into a wet wash, it has to be thicker paint.
Do spots or stripes on the cat's coat and shadows along his edges that way.
If you want to keep, for example, paws separate, leave a tiny dry dam of paper around the paw as you paint.
Wet paint will be attracted to wet paper and it will all flow together.
Let it dry thoroughly, first naturally, then with a hair dryer, if desired.
Do features, eyes, nose, whiskers, inner ears and more shadows on a dry cat shape. , Add additional strips of molding, building it up as many window frames have layered moldings.
Again, use a ruler for accuracy.
Mix a neutral color darker than the sill and swipe on a shadow under the cat.
Do it only once and leave it alone. , If your room is predominately warm colors, use cool hues for the outside.
The room will have many lines and angles, so think of using curvy lines for the outdoors.
Make things up, realism isn't necessarily the only way to go, so, use your imagination. , If you are stymied about what to put outside, stick close to home, and take a look out your windows.
Go through your collection of snapshots for something that sparks your interest. ,,
About the Author
Alexander Ruiz
Creates helpful guides on home improvement to inspire and educate readers.
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