HOW TO ADD DEPTH TO YOUR ART

Creating scenes with lots of depth and contrast using watercolor presents a unique challenge.

LITTLE COFFEE FOX

I discovered the solution a few years ago, it’s called watercolor negative painting.

LITTLE COFFEE FOX

PREPARE

Make sure all your materials and workspace are ready. Draw some elements ahead of time.

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LAY DOWN THE  FIRST WASH

First I wet the paper with clean water. Then I added watercolor to the wet paper and let it spread and bleed until the entire paper was covered.

CREATE THE CLOSEST SHAPES

The goal here is to create a dark to light transition of color away from the edge of your object. The color should fade to totally transparent until it is just clean water

ADD ANOTHER LAYER

Make sure the paper is completely dry before adding another layer.   Just imagine that a layer is locked when you finish painting it. You are now only painting behind that shape

REPEAT AGAIN AND AGAIN

Continue adding new shapes, filling in space around your existing layers. With your shading on each layer, new layers will naturally become darker, making it look like they are further away from the viewer

ADD DETAILS

Finish up by adding details to the objects in your piece of art.

I hope you give this incredible watercolor technique a try and see how it can totally transform your art!

LITTLE COFFEE FOX