Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Watercolor Rabbits - inspired by illustrator Catherine Rayner (Adult class)

These adorable rabbits were done by my adult class. My adults were so inspired by the rabbits that my kids' classes did, that they asked if they could do the same project. That happens a lot.... and I'm always thrilled when it does! My kids are inspiring my adults! See my post for the kids' bunnies to see their awesome results.

Just like my kids, most of my adults had little watercolor experience and they enjoyed the wet-on-wet technique, as well as the idea of focusing on only 'dirty' colors from the unclean side of our palette. After all, how often do we bypass the beautiful colors in our palette and focus on just the neutral ones? We also learned how to make our own neutrals (mixing complementaries together, or adding a touch of black to our colors).

Mapping out our bunny features in light pencil was a great drawing exercise and jogged our observational drawing skills.

The hardest part was working in a loose, open fashion, leaving spaces white and almost 'unfinished' looking. This is a lot harder to do for adult than it is for kids (adults overthink!), but it's so important when using watercolors, and it's safe to say we all managed!

Backgrounds were painted in super light wash of grey, self-mixed with tons of water and a mini touch of black. We had taped down our borders before we began, which revealed a beautiful crisp border when done. It's all in the details.

I love these!