How to Paint an Owl in Watercolor

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Sketch a thick branch crossing from side to side on a sheet of 11 x 14" watercolor paper.

     Place this off center.  Make a freehand circle, sitting deeply into the top of the oval, for the owl's head.,  Add claws gripping the branch and a tail behind and below the branch.,,  Squeeze out blue, green brown, gold, and yellow.,  Paint around the eyes and follow the contours of the circle.,  Paint an oval of gold on the owl's chest.  Paint the tail., Run a line of brown on the bottom of the branch.
   
   The water will carry it upward, but leave a white highlight at the top, as if the moon is illuminating the branch., Mix puddles of blue and green and fully load a 3/4" flat brush.
   
   Work the green watercolor behind the owl.
   
   When the shine goes off the green, load a brush with clean water and make diagonal strokes for branches., Paint the moon as soon as the paint is dry.
   
   Use a hairdryer to speed up the drying, if you wish., Draw a tiny circle, off center, in each eye, to reserve white highlights.
   
   Paint the iris dark brown, saving the highlights.
   
   Make ear peaks in dark brown.
   
   Do a ring around the eye in gold.
   
   Do the beak and feet in orange., Texture the owl's head with dark dots, and the body with light, short lines to represent wing feathers.
   
   Add tiny twigs to the branch.
   
   Paint a dark bat silhouetted by the moon., Punch up the white on the branches with white watercolor paint to represent snow on the branches.
   
   Allow the painting to dry thoroughly., Hold the brush over the painting, bristles down and run your opposite thumb over the bristles, spattering white onto the painting., Just scrub the area out with a bristle brush and clean water, dabbing after each time.
   
   Allow to dry thoroughly before attempting to repaint the area.,
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   Step 2: Using short

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   Step 3: light strokes

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   Step 4: sketch an oval for the owl's body.

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   Step 5: Add circles for eyes

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   Step 6: circles around the eyes

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   Step 7: a beak

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   Step 8: and an oval for the owl's lighter chest area.

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   Step 9: Draw a full moon at the top of the paper.

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    Step 10: Activate your watercolors by wetting the pads of dry paint in the box

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    Step 11: use tube paints.

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    Step 12: Paint the owl's head on dry paper in brown.

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    Step 13: Paint the body

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    Step 14: by making a stroke of brown along the outside contours of the oval

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    Step 15: immediately run a brush loaded with clean water along the stroke

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    Step 16: to soften the interior edge.

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    Step 17: Paint the branch by wetting it entirely

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    Step 18: but avoiding the owl's body.

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    Step 19: Paint the large pine tree and the sky in the background.

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    Step 20: Paint the sky around the moon.

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    Step 21: Return to the owl and work on the eyes.

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    Step 22: Add finishing touches with a small brush and dark

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    Step 23: almost black paint.

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    Step 24: Sketch pine needles on the branches with a fine brush and dark paint or a Sharpie fine line marker.

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    Step 25: Make it snow by running a toothbrush through a puddle of creamy white watercolor paint.

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    Step 26: Watercolor is easy to edit

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    Step 27: if you need to change something.

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    Step 28: Practice the snow technique with a toothbrush on a piece of dark paper to refine your technique before doing it on your painting.

Detailed Guide

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