Experimental Watercolor Techniques for Beginners
A course by Ana SantosPainter and illustrator
A course by Ana Santos, Painter and illustrator
Learn how to paint with watercolor from scratch and make the most out of your mistakes
In many disciplines, making mistakes often carries negative connotations, but for artist and illustrator Ana Santos, she sees an opportunity to discover something new. In this course, master the basics of watercolor from scratch and explore your imagination.
If you’ve already taken her first course Illustrated Portrait in Watercolor, this time around Ana helps you open up your mind to mistakes and take a more creative approach to your art.
Learn how to draw realistic and creative versions of animals from a photograph and paint them using watercolors and experimental techniques.
Featured review
It was awesome, I really like how the teacher explain, and discover that is very relaxing for me to do, I took the course because I didn't know how to use the watercolours properly and now is fascinating for me, I wanna continue with another course by the same teacher and few watercolour courses. Thank you
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 74 downloads
materials
6 minutes, 35 seconds
Fit motifs
14 minutes, 5 seconds
Fit motifs II
8 minutes, 1 second
The color
11 minutes, 21 seconds
Basic watercolor techniques
14 minutes, 28 seconds
Flat colors / Transparencies
22 minutes, 35 seconds
What's included in this course?
Begin by getting to know Ana Santos and how she got started in her career. See some of her recent work and her main artistic influences.
Before jumping into the theory, Ana gives you a detailed explanation of the materials you need to start painting with watercolors and shows her latest discoveries to simplify and speed up the drawing process.
Learn how to draw and frame your reference images without tracing to give your animal portraits a realistic look or a more original touch depending on the style you want.
Next, go over the basics of color theory and its main characteristics and experiment mixing colors to create new ones. Reinforce these concepts by looking at some real-life examples to understand the importance of color in the composition of an image.
Move on to the practical aspects and learn basic watercolor techniques including dry brush, wet brush, dry on dry, dry on wet, wet on dry, and wet on wet. Ana shows you some tricks to perfect these techniques and shares a key piece of advice for painting with watercolors: be open to mistakes.
Now that you have a solid foundation, it’s time to start painting your animals. Experiment with lines and spots and practice using and combining the techniques you’ve learned to create increasingly complex paintings of different animals.
By the end of the course, you’ll have your own collection of stunning watercolor illustrations, including a bird, a toucan, a chameleon, a wolf, a tiger, a greyhound, a Siamese fighting fish, and a hare, as well as the skills and knowledge to create whatever you can imagine.
What is this course's project?
Paint and compile a series of watercolor illustrations using traditional and experimental techniques to create an animal house that provides endless possibilities for future projects.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Anyone who wants to explore the wonderful and spontaneous world of watercolor.
Requirements and materials
This is a beginner’s course, so no prior knowledge is necessary.
As for materials, you need a basic set of watercolors, paper with different weights and textures, brushes, a mixing palette, masking tape, white gouache or similar, India ink, a pencil, and other materials that your teacher will specify in the course.
Reviews
- 17 days ago
Sono rimasta molto soddisfatta ! Ana e’ bravissima, spiega bene, dimostra bene: finalmente ho capito cose che non mi erano chiare. Grazie per le tue indicazioni e per il senso di libertà che ci indichi. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
- 23 days ago
I am really enjoying this course, I love that there are lots of 'mini projects' to focus on different techniques and build confidence. I also love that she stresses embracing mistakes and not trying to control everything.
- 28 days ago
Me ha gustado mucho,un curso muy creativo y muy bien explicado. Lo recomiendo
- 1 month ago
Excelente curso
- 2 months ago
Excelente forma de explicar cada uno de los temas. Me está sirviendo mucho este curso!!!!!!!!!!
Ana combines traditional and digital techniques and is an expert at capturing expressive looks, strong attitudes, and somber moods in her illustrations, which have appeared in publications from major publishers such as Penguin Random House, Editorial Planeta, and Roca Editorial.
Content
- U1
Presentation
- Presentation
- Influences
- U2
Before starting
- materials
- Fit motifs
- Fit motifs II
- The color
- Basic watercolor techniques
- U3
To paint! Experimental techniques
- Flat colors / Transparencies
- The color line
- The use of the stain
- Stroked watercolor / Wet on dry
- U4
Let's continue experimenting
- Watercolor and ink
- Watercolor and watercolorable charcoal
- Watercolor and gouache
- Combining techniques I
- Combining techniques II
- FP
Final project
- Watercolor techniques for beginners
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
The course is aimed at people with basic prior knowledge of drawing or watercolor, making it ideal for intermediate learners. Beginners can follow along, but some familiarity with art materials is recommended.
You’ll need watercolors, watercolor paper, brushes, pencils, markers, India ink, charcoal, gouache, and tools like a hairdryer, masking fluid, and eraser. It’s also helpful to have paper of various weights and optional digital materials.
You’ll learn to combine watercolor with other techniques, create animal and nature-themed illustrations, use digital tools, apply color theory, experiment with materials, and develop your own artistic voice.
The course teaches how to illustrate animals and natural motifs in watercolor, apply mixed media techniques, and design book covers, blending traditional and digital methods for creative and professional projects.
The course covers both traditional techniques—watercolor, pencil, charcoal—and digital tools for editing and animating illustrations.
Basic drawing and painting knowledge is recommended but not required. The course is designed for those wanting to refine and experiment with mixed media techniques.
Yes, the course includes designing and conceptualizing book covers using watercolor techniques and strategies for integrating illustrations into publishing projects.