Naturalistic Illustration in Watercolor and Gouache
A course by Georgina Taylor , Illustrator
Experiment with textures, shading, lines, and layers to bring to life naturalistic drawings inspired by the world around you using watercolor and gouache paint
Experiment with textures, shading, lines, and layers to bring to life naturalistic drawings inspired by the world around you using watercolor and gouache paint
Nature is the perfect blend of depth and delicacy. By combining watercolors and gouache, illustrator Georgina Taylor has managed to capture this fine complexity to paint realistic illustrations with a whimsical touch. Her artwork has been printed on packaging for cosmetics and food products, as well as on homeware, stationery, and textiles for brands like Mr Price, Estée Lauder, and Rocksoup. She also illustrated the children’s book Made for each other in collaboration with Templar publishing.
In this online course, learn how to use watercolor and gouache to paint vibrant and highly detailed naturalistic illustrations alongside Georgina. She teaches you the fundamental techniques of each medium and how to seamlessly blend their distinct yet complementary qualities to depict flora and fauna. Draw inspiration from the natural world and bring it to life with paint.
What will you learn in this online course?
20 lessons & 18 downloads
- 98% positive reviews (187)
- 7,067 students
- 20 lessons (3h 44m)
- 18 additional resources (4 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Create a detailed watercolor and gouache painting of an insect (or animal of your choice) with a botanical background.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Anyone who wants to learn how to paint with watercolor and gouache to create highly detailed illustrations, as well as anybody interested in exploring naturalist painting.
Requirements and materials
No prior knowledge is necessary for this course, but basic notions of drawing and color theory are recommended.
As for materials, you need:
- - Gouache paint and watercolors (pans or tubes)
- Watercolor paper
- A variety of brushes
- A container with water
- A ruler
- A pencil and a sharpener
- A regular and a kneaded eraser
Reviews
A course by Georgina Taylor
Georgina Taylor is a self-taught watercolor illustrator from South Africa. She grew up surrounded by nature and was constantly drawing and painting as a child, hobbies which she pursued into adulthood. During a gap year in the UK, she discovered the magic of watercolors and continued to experiment with them after returning to South Africa to study jewelry design. During that time, she kept a blog with photos of her sketches, which caught the eye of a local textile designer and led to her first paid commission. Soon after, she opened an Instagram account to promote herself and has been living as a freelance artist ever since.
Her lifelong passion for art and nature—combined with a keen eye for detail—have helped her forge a unique illustration style. Her designs have been printed on packaging for cosmetics and food products, as well as on homeware, stationery, and textiles for brands like Mr Price, Estée Lauder, and Rocksoup. One of her most distinguished projects was illustrating the children’s book Made for each other in collaboration with Templar publishing. She also runs an online store selling original art and prints.
Content
-
U1
Introduction
-
About Me
-
Influences
-
-
U2
Materials and Basic Painting Techniques
-
The Materials
-
Setting up the Workspace
-
Basic Watercolor and Gouache Techniques 1
-
Basic Watercolor and Gouache Techniques 2
-
Botanical Study and Insect Wing Demonstration 1
-
Botanical Study and Insect Wing Demonstration 2
-
Botanical Study and Insect Wing Demonstration 3
-
-
U3
Preparation
-
Collecting References
-
Thumbnail Sketches
-
Color
-
Sketching the Project
-
-
U4
The Painting
-
Light Washes
-
Building Layers 1
-
Building Layers 2
-
Textures on Foliage
-
Textures on Flowers
-
-
U5
Final Touches
-
Details on Insects and Finishing
-
Final Overview
-
-
FP
Final project
-
Naturalistic Illustration in Watercolor and Gouache
-
What to expect from a Domestika course
-
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
-
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
-
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
-
Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
-
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
-
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
-
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
-
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
issymoss
PlusThis is a wonderful course! Georgina has wonderful technique which she explains carefully, step by step.
Each step is carefully detailed and clarified. I really love this course and she is a great teacher!! Thank you, Georgina!!
patriciarte
PlusAinda não acabei o curso, mas estou a gostar muito, é bem explicado com muitos detalhes, gostei da combinação do guache com a aquarela. Recomendo.
View translation
Hide translation
navarrodegracia
PlusEste curso me ha gustado bastante, Georgina explica con mucho detalle, pero a la vez tiene momentos de silencio para trabajar. Es una gran artista y ha compartido su forma de hacer totalmente. Muchas gracias
View translation
Hide translation
mokkinbirdsong
Very informative course resulting in a beautiful and elegant artwork!
huang_pythagoras
Thank you so much! The best botanical in gouache online course I've found!