Still life drawing is very useful when you are just starting to get acquainted with watercolor paints. In this article you will find a simple watercolor lesson for beginner artists, which can be used repeatedly, drawing different clusters.
Preparatory stage
In order to draw grapes in watercolor, you will need the following materials:
- paper for watercolor, suitable format;
- a simple hard pencil;
- eraser;
- brushes of various sizes;
- watercolor paints ;
- glass or an ordinary white palette;
- pure water;
- tablet for drawing.
Sketch
Please note that for drawing a still life with watercolor in stages, it is better to use the real branch of grapes located in front of you or in the photo. In this master class there will be a principle of drawing grapes as a whole, this way you can use to draw any bunch of grapes.
For watercolor grapes, you must first sketch.
- First stage. Outline the silhouette of the vine and a few grapes that are on top of other berries. They will be larger than the rest, as they are located closest to the artist. The stem of the vine itself does not have to be just straight, in places it expands or narrows.
- Second phase. With sharp and confident strokes, outline a leaf of grapes, draw some more grapes near those that are already on the leaf. Berries should not be placed closely, draw them under the previous ones. Note that the branch will look more natural when the brush resembles an inverted cone in shape.
- The third stage. Give the sheet a complete shape, the edges should be slightly rounded and not symmetrical. Straight lines draw streaks on the sheet. Continue to draw grapes, gradually moving them away from you. Top draw a twig with a pair of large berries.
- The fourth stage. Draw the trunk of the branch and draw a grape mustache on it. On the sheet, draw smaller veins extending from the main ones. Depict a few more grapes, indicate the glare of light. Do not forget about the lower berries.
If you have already worked with watercolors, you know that paper will go in waves, if wet. To avoid this, you need to pull the sheet onto a drawing tablet or a glass of a suitable format (you can take it from a photo frame) if you do not have a wooden tablet.
Color filling
When you finished sketching, you should have a cone-shaped bunch. In between the berries nearest to you, lay the shadow with a dark brown watercolor.
To draw grapes in watercolor, you need to get a little familiar with how the shadows are applied. They consist of several parts. The first and lightest is the flare, then the color itself (main shade), after partial shade, which is the transition from color to shadow, and the shadow itself (the darkest part). Each grape must have all of these shading steps.
Remember that in watercolor drawings, white paint is not welcome. Therefore, glare is better to leave light immediately.
We apply color in several stages. First we apply the basic shade, it should be light, well diluted and completely cover every grape except the highlight. Slightly compacting the shade, apply it to a smaller area than the main color. Apply the darkest color around the edges. Check if all grapes have glare, light, partial shade, and shadow. This activity is rather difficult and may seem boring, but it is not. The result will definitely be worth the effort.
The trunk of the brush needs to be filled with brown, in places a little darkening the shade, grape mustache bring green watercolor. Fill the leaf with light green, near the veins, apply a slightly darker color, cover the veins themselves and the edges of the sheet with emerald green paint.
Your watercolor drawing of grapes is ready!