Recently, a member of our online watercolor school shared an image of his painting, along with the comment: “I know I’m not finished but I’m kind of stumped on how to proceed.” This question often appears in our Facebook Group, Realistic Animals in Watercolor. Many of us have been there. In fact, it’s a normal part of the process. How to refine my painting?
It happened to me while creating this painting of a tabby cat for our online watercolor school. Everything is moving along nicely. The eyes and nose are in place. The colors and fur are blocked in. And then, a road block. What to do next? It’s not quite where I’d like it to be, but how to make refinements and take the painting to completion?
Over time, I’ve developed a series of questions that helps to move things along when I’m not quite sure what to do next, and I’d like to share them with you. I hope you find this helpful in your own watercolor projects!
First, Stop Looking at it!
Put the painting away. Stop looking at it for a couple of hours to a couple of days. Upon returning, you will see with fresh eyes and will probably notice areas that could be refined. When you return to the painting….
- Look at it from a distance of 3 to 6 feet, or more
- View the painting in a mirror
- See how it looks upside-down
- Place it somewhere and glance at it as you walk by
- Take notes
These actions help to highlight areas that appear unbalanced or just not quite right. I place my work-in-progress on this small shelf and take quick glances in passing. In addition, I often take notes to use as reference while making refinements.
Upon returning and looking at your painting with fresh eyes, ask yourself these questions:
1. Are the darkest parts dark enough?
As you progress through your painting, what had initially appeared dark enough will often need to be reinforced – taken darker. This is a natural part of the process and often, reinforcing those dark values will help you decide what to do next. In this example, I reinforced the darkest parts of this tabby cat – the stripes, whisker spots, and darkest fur. Can you see the difference?
2. Are the Values Balanced?
Value refers to how dark or light a color appears. You can learn more about values when you visit the Free Tutorials found in our online watercolor school. After you refine the darkest parts, things may appear unbalanced – the dark values are very dark and the light values too pale. This happened in the tabby cat, but there is a solution!
Use mid tone values (those in between the darkest and lightest) to bridge, or create smooth transitions from dark to light. It might be thin layers of color or further applications of fur/textures. Aim for values that are not quite as dark as the darkest, yet more intense than the lightest. Compare the 2nd and 3rd images below. Do you see the difference after mid tones were applied? Smoother transitions have been created in value, and shapes are more unified and less disjointed.
3. Is anything too pale or empty of texture?
Take a step back. Look at your painting from a distance and squint. Squinting will help you to see shapes and values without details getting in the way. Does anything appear too pale or empty of texture? To make refinements…
- Apply a thin layer or two of color to take an area slightly darker
- Apply a bit more fur or texture
- Thin, pale applications of gray make a big difference in areas that you would like to appear white
- Be sure to allow drying time between each application.
In the tabby cat below, thin, pale gray fur was applied to the white areas around the mouth and in the neck. Touches of fur and textures were laid into lighter shapes, taking them slightly darker so they better fit the surrounding area. Thin layers of color were applied to take shapes just a bit darker.
4. Are Areas too Dark?
When you take a step back, look from a distance, and squint, does anything stand out as being too dark? You could either apply mid tones around (and sometimes over) those dark parts so they better fit in, or you can lift some color. Here’s how….
- Dip your brush in water and wipe it on your towel so it’s barely damp – not dripping.
- Touch the brush gently to the area that you feel is too dark. This will dampen the area and slightly move the paint.
- Gently touch the area with a clean, dry paper towel to blot.
- Little by little, lift color. It may begin to appear messy, but you can fix it.
- Allow to dry completely.
- When dry, go back in and touch up the area as needed with applications of fur, textures, or a simple layer of color.
5. Do you need to Reinforce Contour, Curve, or Bone Structure?
Often, in the reference photo, slightly darker shapes are indicators of contour and curve, which helps to establish bone structure and wrinkles/folds. I find that applying layers of a mid-tone value to take these shapes a bit darker makes a big difference in creating depth. In this image of a white Labrador, do you see the impression of a curve created by taking parts of the ear a little darker? You can do the same kind of thing in all parts of the subject, wherever you wish to create contour and curve. Use thin applications of color, allowing drying time between each layer.
6. Are Textures Rough, Disjointed?
If your painting appears disjointed – shapes don’t seem to be working together, or if the fur is too rough, you can smooth with thin glazes of color or water.
- A glaze is a thin layer of color placed over previous layers that are completely dry. I like to use glazes to adjust color and smooth textures.
- Gently apply thin glazes of color over areas that you would like to unify or smooth. When you use gentle touch with a slightly damp brush, the colors will be smoothed but not smeared.
- If you don’t wish to refine the color, you could apply plain water to simply soften and smooth fur and textures.
- It doesn’t need to be everywhere! Give attention only to areas that you think need to be refined.
- If something does smear, allow it to dry completely, and then go back in to refine.
Summary
When you get to the point where you are not quite sure what to do next, put the painting away for a while. Upon returning, use these questions as a guide in making final refinements.
- Do you need to reinforce darkest parts?
- Do you need to use mid tones to create smooth transitions from dark to light?
- Are there areas/shapes that are too pale or empty of texture?
- Do you see areas/shapes that are too dark?
- Do you need to reinforce the impression of contour/curve?
- Are glazes of color or plain water needed to smooth and unify?
I hope you find this information helpful as you create your own watercolor paintings. And now, I invite you to explore our online watercolor school, where you can learn to paint detailed, realistic paintings of your pet, birds, and all kinds of wildlife. You can do this!
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Thanks for visiting! Have I missed anything or do you have a question? Your comments are welcome!
Thanks for reminding me to do these suggestions when trying to refine the finished product.
Thank you Joan – it is helpful to have these reminders!
Thanks for this – very helpful! I plan to check out that free tutorial.
Thank you, I’m glad this is helpful!