In this video, I give a short overview of painting a bright butterfly in watercolor. The complete tutorial was released in Viv's Studio Membership in January for my members and I wanted to give my subscribers a quick overview. While it's not a complete tutorial as you would get in Viv's Studio, you can still gain some value from seeing the demo. 

Wet in wet, wet on dry, glazing, and lifting are the main techniques used to complete this painting.  

Basics steps:

1. Apply Masking fluid to all areas you wish to remain white.

2. Use a wet in wet technique to complete the background. I used shades of green with some violet. 

3. Complete the first layer of the wings by applying yellows and oranges using wet in wet, wet on dry, and some glazing.

4. After the yellows and oranges dry completely, mix a dark color in place of tube black and paint the black pattern on the wings.

5. For the flower apply a light pink-violet color in the light areas of the flower and violet with a bit of blue in the shadow areas of the flower. Once completely dry apply details using the same colors directly on the dry paper (don't rewet). 

6. For the body, apply a base wash of yellow and drop in some darker browns for the shadows, and let dry. Then begin layering hatch marks and stippling varying the shades of brown to give texture to the body. 

7. Be sure to add any details to the wings by stippling or hatch marks to create texture where needed. You can also add white gouache to areas as needed. 

8. Be sure to remove masking fluid once the paint is completely dry in the area you're working on. 

The full tutorial complete with reference photo, outline drawing, supply list, and step by step videos is in Viv's Studio. If you would like to learn more just click below.