I remember the spectacular sunsets when I lived in Southern California especially the dramatic silhouettes of palm trees and birds against a red orange or deep blue sky. It’s something I rarely see living in the high mountain desert of Arizona. I am grateful where I’m living right now, but sometimes I long for the salty fresh air, sights and sounds of the coast. In this tutorial I am going to show you how to paint a watercolor silhouette!
Paint a Silhouette to Remember
When I want to go back to another time and space and I can’t travel there, I paint it instead. I remember the families of crows socializing on the telephone wires next to my house in Santa Barbara. They would sometimes wake me up in the early hours of the morning gathering seeds from the trees that fell on my rooftop. I could hear them chattering loudly to each other and I always wondered what they were saying. They are such beautiful, intelligent and social creatures. They are also a natural subject for painting watercolor silhouettes!
Simple, Yet Dramatic Silhouettes
Even a beginning watercolorist can create a beautiful silhouette painting. Trees, figures and animals make wonderful silhouettes. A silhouette painting is simple yet dramatic and It’s super fun to do. All you need is some paper, a couple of brushes and a bare minimum of colors.
Discovering Dark and Light Values
Creating silhouettes helps to define dark and light values for stronger art compositions. The balance between light and dark is very important and designing silhouettes will sharpen your composing skills. Your art will be much more dynamic and interesting. So, find a subject you want to create and let’s get started!
Supplies
Canson Moulon Du Roy Cold Press Watercolor
Holbein Watercolors: Ultramarine Blue, Marine Blue & Pthalo Blue GS
Daniel Smith Watercolors: Neutral Gray & Warm Gray
Flat and Round Watercolor Brush
Pencil
Pro masking tape or washi tape
How to Paint a Watercolor Silhouette
First, make a border around the edge of the watercolor block or paper by applying masking tape around all edges.
Create a loose wet wash going from left to right using a mix of blue watercolors with a flat brush to create the sky. Start from the top of the paper and work your way down. Blot the saturated areas with a dry paper towel or rag to make cloud shapes. Let dry.
Draw the silhouette outline with a pencil. In this design I have two birds who look like they are a couple or conversing and the third bird is looking away. This makes for many possible stories which will make the painting more interesting!
Fill in the design with a dark mix of grays using the round brush. The grays look more interesting than a solid black but black ink such as Higgins or sumi ink would be fine too. Once the painting is completely dry, carefully remove the masking tape to reveal a clean border.
Practicing making silhouettes will sharpen your ability to see dark and light values to create more interesting and compelling compositions. Don’t worry about making something perfect every time. Just enjoy the creative process and have fun!
Check out my Youtube video for a time lapse of the process!
I am currently teaching a watercolor course at the Sedona Arts Center! It will be an amazing and fun deep dive into my realm of watercolor. I hope you can join me! Contact me for more information.