July Watercolour Challenge

Daily Painting Excersises
Daily watercolour exercises for beginners and intermediates.

July Week 1

  • 01 JUL
  • 02 JUL
  • 03 JUL
  • 04 JUL
  • 05 JUL
  • 06 JUL
  • 07 JUL
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Illustration of a Rose

Today we are going to create a design that includes roses and an old key. You can use the image here or create your very own illustration. 

​Keep the colours harmonious.

Paint a Gorilla

Paint a gorilla or another form of an ape. Use a variety of colours within the darks to avoid that the illustration appears boring and dull. 

Paint Poppies

I remember my childhood when walking along the wheat fields. Right at the edge we always found poppies and cornflowers, which was the most amazing colour combination. 

Now living in Australia, we see artificial flowers that has been used since 1921 as a remembrance for ANZAC day to commemorate Australian soldiers who have died in war.  

Paint a Rooster

Today we are painting a rooster. 

Paint a Fawn

Deer has always been an integral part of fairy tales and fables as it represents heraldry but also innocence.  

Paint a Beech Tree

This must be my favourite tree of all. I remember the beech tree forests from Germany and the amazing fresh green leaves this tree bears but also the white stems with their dark marks. 

Catch Up Day

Today you can either rest, or try to finish some of the uncompleted work due for this week.

July Week 2

  • 08 JUL
  • 09 JUL
  • 10 JUL
  • 11 JUL
  • 12 JUL
  • 13 JUL
  • 14 JUL
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Paint a Swan

I grew up with swans, despite living in Hamburg, a large city. Hamburg has a number of lakes and waterways all around the city. In fact, it is said that Hamburg has more bridges than Venice. 

I particularly love to mix yellows and violets, as they add drama being complementary colours. 

Create an Illustration

Create an interesting illustration from a combination of items, including flowers, beads, feathers and other ornamentals or jewellery.  This is so easy to do and makes such great subject. 

Paint a Deer Couple

When painting deer today try to see the different colours within the brown fur. Sometimes there is more yellow, at other times more blue or violet or even green. 

Paint a Parasaurolophus

This is a cute depiction of a baby parasaurolophus, a member of a group of duck-billed dinosaurs.  They could get up 10 metres in length. 

Paint Pearls

There is such variety of pearls and I like in particular the natural blue Akoya or baroque Akoya pearl. 

Ones thought to be rejects Akoya pearls were usually destroyed. It is only recently that these pearls have become increasingly popular. 

This is a good exercise for letting colour run into each other by dripping colour onto an already wet surface. 

Paint Potato Chips

Today would be a good day to make it to McDonald get some chips. Take some for painting by placing them into a bit of newspaper that you can form as a little mini box for your chips.

Any subject matter, even as ordinary as potato chips is worth to be painted as it teaches to observe and decide what to do with surfaces and colours. 

Catch Up Day

Today you can either rest, or try to finish some of the uncompleted work due for this week.

July Week 3

  • 15 JUL
  • 16 JUL
  • 17 JUL
  • 18 JUL
  • 19 JUL
  • 20 JUL
  • 21 JUL
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Paint a Plant Series

This week we are doing a series of botanical illustrations with a contemporary twist by adding some black line work to the equation.  

Today we begin with the ordinary but beautiful Graptopetalum Paraguayense. 

At the end add some loose but effective black ink line work and maybe write the name of the plant you are painting. 

Paint Plant Series 2

Today we doing an illustration of an Opuntia Microdasys. The white prickles of this cacti is done by applying masking fluid and once painting the cacti in its green blue colours. Note that in most cases a darker stripe of a cooler blue is added to enhance the effect of the prickles.  At the end add a few little details such as the pot with an ink pen. 

Paint Plant Series 3

Now todays plant is a mouthful, Senecio Mandraliscae or Blue Chalk Stick. 

I love the combination between the slighter more realistic depiction and the adding of some loose ink lines. So I hope you are enjoying this series with me. 

Paint Plant Series 4

Today we are tackling the quickly spiral formed Albuca Spiralis. 

Have fun.

Paint a Lime Drink

Here again the principle is about taking an ordinary daily item and making it interesting as a subject to paint by adding a few details, in this case some whole and cut limes, fresh colours and a few splatters to make the work quirky. 

This is a good example of an analogue colour harmony painting. 

Paint a Glass of Water

By adding a few props to a simple glass of water we can create an interesting illustration. 

This is a good example of a complimentary colour harmony scheme, being blue and orange, which always looks effective. 

Catch Up Day

Today you can either rest, or try to finish some of the uncompleted work due for this week.

July Week 4

  • 22 JUL
  • 23 JUL
  • 24 JUL
  • 25 JUL
  • 26 JUL
  • 27 JUL
  • 28 JUL
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Paint Shape of Bird

Outline the form of a bird and paint a lovely flower pattern into the shape. Then outline with a black or any other coloured pen. You can create a wonderful series of images this way, which will look great in smaller frames. 

Paint Peonies

Today we are painting peonies with some silver eucalyptus leaves. Note that there are not many washes in this images but rather clear and even washes that are layered on top of each other, without lifting the colour below. 

Paint Peonies Close-Up

We continue today with peonies, but this time a little more of a close-up. 

Eucalyptus Silver Leaves 

Another example of the wonderful Australian eucalyptus silver leaf. Note that some leaves are done with the cooler ultramarine blue and others with a warmer green that contains a little of vermillion red to dull the intensity it would otherwise have. 

Paint a Cup of Coffee

Subject to paints are everywhere you go. So the next time you visit a coffee shop take your camera out and make some neat photos of your drink and food. Cake also is quite the subject. 

Paint a Bike

Although this work has been produce digitally, it is suitable for watercolour. Make sure that you have a detailed drawing before you add colours.  When finished take an old toothbrush and splatter some of the colours you have used in the drawing onto the drawing.

Catch  Up Day

Today you can either rest, or try to finish some of the uncompleted work due for this week.

July Week 5

  • 29 JUL
  • 30 JUL
  • 31 JUL
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Metallic Antique Item

This amazing antique metal pot is an interesting subject, but any of those wonderfully crafted items would be suitable for painting. Worn metal just has that special look. The main colour would be burned sienna with more ultramarine blue in the darker areas and a little more yellow and white in the lighter parts. Be careful with too much white, as it flattens the image and looks too cold. 

Paint Blue Berries

Sometimes I use a subject matter and create my own composition. Here for example you see that the blue berries are still on the branch they have been growing on. So even if I only have single blue berries from the shop, I can arrange them in a way that is pleasing to eye and add some leaves or a branch from my memory. I also like to enhance the difference between the blue purple and red purple versions of blue berries. 

Paint a Fox

Create a simple painting of a fox.