A mini long over-due watercolor tutorial of sorts for Tila (flower illusion) on the FFXV Creative Crew Discord, a place filled with sunshine, rainbows, chocobros with tentacles, and many great people (many, many thanks to @stylishchocobutt for that!). I figured Iâd post this here rather than Discord for ease of formatting and accessibility.
For this exercise, I made three loose sketches of Kingsglaive Luna to represent the major phases of the painting process. My painting surface is a Canson Montval 9x12â booklet, 140lb cold press. Each Luna measures approximately 5x3âł inches, so I used a size 2 round for a majority of the painting, and a size 0 round for the details. If youâre painting a larger image, I would select larger brushes.
PHASE 1
-Sketch lightly, otherwise the water will pick up some of the graphite and add a grayish tint to your wash.
-Stick to simple forms as much as possible in your sketches. I didnât detail Lunaâs eyes in any of theseâŚI merely suggested their placement with a few quick pencil marks.  The nose, however, is a different story.  Noses stick out of the face more so than any other feature, the bulb being the part that protrudes the most. As such, they will directly influence how the shadows fall across the face. Same with the brow and the lips, so get âem in there. In these particular sketches I was also concerned with how her hair framed her face and formed the braid as well as its interaction with the scarf.
-Once you have your sketch ready, use this moment to take note of where you want the light source. If you look really closely at the first Luna, youâll see that there are spots I didnât paint over during the initial wash.  These are going to be the highlights and you shouldnât plan on touching them again in any major capacity. SRSLY, NO TOUCHY!!
-If the wash mixture looks too concentrated, lighten it by using water (not the white that comes with your paint setâŚbetter yet, throw that shit out the window, or bury it in the backyard) and gently wipe off the excess before painting. For the face, I made a clockwise stroke with the paint starting at 12 oâclock, near her hair part and ending around the same position, being mindful of the light source along the way.  Â
-While the face is still wet and without washing the brush, pick up a touch of yellow, and repeat the exercise in the hair. Â Repeat with the scarf using blue. Blue happens to be the darkest of the primaries, so I diluted the paint with a bit more water before incorporating it into the wash, allowing it to blend in neatly with the rest of the colors.
-After youâve finished, let it dry and take another look.  Notice how the yellow from the hair and the scarf have migrated into the skin and vice versa?  This is great, and further down the process, youâll see that this lends itself in making the final result look more natural. I thought the hair matched the skin too much, so I added one more wash of yellow in her hair, but only on the left side becauseâŚtada, light source! Once dry, the result should look more or less like the step one Luna in the first image.
PHASE 2
Before I fully delve into this part of the process, I will mention that phase 2 and 3 are to be done back and forth, section by section. For example, once youâve painted the shadows of the face in this phase, start blending them out, as per phase 3. I would highly advise against completing all of phase 2 before moving on to phase 3 as chances are, some of your shadows will dry before you can blend them out. Basically, phase 2 is how your painting should look just before you blend. Note: some of the colors did bleed out a bit, since the wash preceding this phase were slightly damp.
-Use concentrated colors for these âshadow pathsâ as I dub them. I make these strokes with the intention of blending them out further down the line. Seeing them on the page, in their unblended glory can be quite scary as you can tell from the imageâŚbut theyâre quite vital in establishing form and dimensionality to a work. Often, I sit down to think of how Iâm going to do this before I dive in. If youâre working off a reference (like I am), this will, without a doubt, prove to be far easier.
-In this diagram, Iâve indicated the most prominent shadows as well as the direction of the brush stroke. Try to work quickly and try not to stop midway through a stroke, unless youâre reloading your brush with more color. If youâre feeling brave, try multiple colors! If it isnât obvious, I stuck with red and blue.
PHASE 3
-Blending is where the magic and fun happens! While the concentrated colors are still wet on the page, I take a clean, damp brush, and start pulling one edge of the shadow outwards. (The directional arrows with âBLâ on the ends, indicate how I blended the face and scarf.) This should immediately soften the edge, and the pigment will start flowing along this new damp path youâve created, feathering out into a lighter color. Try not to blend out the entire shadow, you want one edge to retain the pigment, otherwise itâll start looking flat and homogenous.Â
-For the hair, do the same, only this time instead of using clear water, add a touch of yellow. This should prevent the shadow pigment from completely overtaking the hair. Test on a small piece of hair before painting the whole head. In the diagram above, Iâve included some more detailed notes, which you may find useful as you go through this exercise.
-I typically go back and forth between phase 2 and 3 multiple times, painting details with concentrated watercolor and then blending them out little by little. Again, always keep track of your light sourceâŚas you build up the layers of paint around them, your subject will eventually start looking more three dimensional and âtake on a life of its ownâ so to speak. Sometimes, patience and a clear mind are required, so donât be afraid to step away when you need to.
OTHER GENERAL TIPS
-Something to take into consideration as you paint in watercolorsâŚhow saturated was the color when it was wet vs. dry?  This is something youâll learn to keep track of as you begin to paint more and on different surfaces. Memorizing how the color appears when dry should inform how much paint + water you will use.  Back in the day, I would build up a piece through a succession of 10-20 washes; basically repeating step 1 and then waiting for it to dryâŚover and over again.  While this is not a bad thing, when youâre strapped for time and have an average 4-5 hours per day to dedicate on a piece, efficiency suddenly sounds like a good idea.
-When it comes to the more specialized toolsâŚmasking liquid/frisket, salt, white ink/gouache, itâs all good. HoweverâŚIâm of the camp that you should try to paint without them as much as you can, especially when youâre a beginner. Try getting a good handle on the basics: wet-on-wet, glazing, flat + graded washes, etc. before jumping into all this extra stuff.
-Work on improving your drawing skills alongside your painting skills. From time to time, do some shading studies in graphite or conte. Learn where and how shadows and light interact with subjects. Haul ass to your nearest museum, public park, botanic garden, or zoo and sketch! The internet may have tons of resources, but itâs no substitute for live drawing. This is even more important if youâre aiming to improve your skills in any traditional medium.
-If youâre looking for more structured ways of learning, it might help to find your nearest Watercolor Society or something similar; social media might help with this. These places will often advertise workshops, classes or group draw events. Or if you go to school, perhaps find a club that suits your needs. Often times you can learn something by watching other artists at work, so get out there if you can!
Tila, I hope this was able to help you out, if not a little. Best of luck with your watercolor journeyâŚyou know where to find me if you have any qâs! :)
