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How to Use Stippling for Watercolor Texture – all about lazy stippling
What exactly is lazy stippling? In this article, we’ll talk all about using a stippling technique, or lazy stippling, for watercolor texture. What is Lazy Stippling? Let’s start with stippling, in case you’re unfamiliar with the word. Basically, stippling is creating art with dots, lots and lots of dots. The more compact they are, the darker the area appears, but as you spread the dots farther apart, the area appears much lighter. It’s a very interesting technique for drawing or watercolor. But it’s also a technique that takes patience. Maybe more patience than I have or want to have. So, when I feel the desire to create a stippling effect…
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Eight Simple Drawing Ideas to Try This Fall
If you're like me, sometimes, you don't want to hunt for all of those drawing ideas. You just want to flip through them now to see which one you feel like working on. With that in mind, I compiled several drawing ideas from past tutorials. Some of them are from blog beginnings, so they may not have videos. The ideas are just as fun. I've divided them even further into categories: focus on watercolor backgrounds, for the love of drawing pumpkins, a bit of fun with loose watercolor, and drawing with lazy stippling. What are you waiting for? Explore!
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How to Draw a Pineapple
For me, seasons tend to carry themes. Maybe it has to do with temperatures where I live. We get a good dose of each season … frigid temperatures and snows in winter, hot and sticky summers, blooming springs, and breezy falls. As each season passes, one or two ideas grow into many ideas until they threaten to spill over into the next year. Right now, we’re in the middle of summery ninety-some-odd degree days when the pool invites and everyone looks for ways to “chill.” Maybe that’s why I’m dreaming of the tropics lately and summery, tropical drawings keep coming to mind. Why don’t we just go with that theme?…
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How to Use Mixed Lettering on a Fishing Quote
I didn’t grow up fishing, but I did grow up going to the beach and the lake. These trips usually involved swimming, boat riding or skiing. But now I have a father-in-law who loves a good day fishing as well as a husband and couple of sons who enjoy it occasionally too. Me? I love the fishing day feeling … the aura that goes with the idea of a peaceful day on the lake. Whenever I smell salt or lake air, I see the beauty of creation and feel that I’m-gone-and-might-not-be-back feeling. Do you know the feeling too? Where do you go to let your cares drift away? Today, we’ll…
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How to Draw 3 Flowers with Watercolor Backgrounds
Spring begs me to draw flowers and dive into color. Inspiration lies everywhere I look. I find myself driving down the road filled with a desire to stop to take a picture (sometimes I do stop). Creation amazes me, and I remind myself to take time to slow down for a moment to enjoy it ... to walk out to the apple trees when they're blooming while I sip my afternoon coffee ... to just be in the newness and color of spring. It passes so quickly. Go ahead … whatever season you're in … take a moment to be present in it before the next one comes. It will…
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How to Draw Lavender with Watercolor Techniques
I recently tried my hand at a little soap making. My son was brainstorming ways to make extra money. He loves to make things with his hands and came up with the soap idea. I tried and tried to have time to learn about it to see if it was a good option. We ordered some supplies and gave it a go … months later. We tried several recipes and several scents to see what we liked and what we didn’t like. I am so glad I tried it! We now have soap for the next year (a little overboard? nah!). Homemade soap is so nice on your skin, you…
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Fall Quotes, Calligraphy Styles, and Watercolor Backgrounds
We must have had the perfect mix of hot and cold, wet and dry this summer because we are having one beautifully colorful fall. We needed an amazing fall this year. I needed it as a reminder that good things exist in the midst of difficult times. Today, I want to capture some of that beauty … some of that reminder ... in color and sentiment and style, in other words, watercolor, quotes, and calligraphy. We’ll paint a watercolor background using two different methods. Then, I’ll show you three of my favorite fall quotes, each written in a different calligraphy style. After that, it’s up to you to put them…
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How to Make a Flamingo Drawing with a Splash
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been all about pink, green and blue. Why? I had a request for some artwork, a flamingo and a dragonfly. I love drawing dragonflies, but why had I never thought about a flamingo drawing?! Might as well stay with the pink for a little while longer. So, while I was drawing flamingos in different poses and painting them in different styles, I decided that a flamingo drawing tutorial would be the perfect end to summer drawings. Shall we take one more trip to the beach? It might be the last for a while. Let's get started.
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Draw with Words – Turtle Lettering
Get ready to draw with words as we create turtle lettering inside a turtle drawing. I seriously debated between more turtles and a unicorn. I know. I don’t usually head down the unicorn road. I’m a boy mom, after all. But I have a couple of special little unicorn lovers in my life, one of whom will soon have a birthday. That makes me want to pull out the calligraphy supplies, some pink and purple watercolor and … you guessed it! Glitter. I think I’ll save that unicorn for now (it might be the next tutorial … we’ll see). After the last tutorial, a turtle drawing, it felt like too…
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Beach Quote, Beach Words, Beach Background
Oh … that beach still calls … those waves still beckon … so let’s continue with our beach theme a little longer. How about some lettering styles for a beach quote or a few beach words. Then we'll bring in some beach color with a watercolor background. Calligraphy and watercolor, my favorite mix. I have really been missing the beach this year. These summery projects help me feel a few moments of that relaxing beach feeling, the glint of a beach memory. I hope they bring some vacation reminders and cheerful thoughts to your day too. I'll walk you through the background and quote I chose and include a video…
