How to Watercolor a Wolf and Moon
If you’re looking for a simple project with a big WOW factor, then you’re in the right place. I promise, you can paint this. I am even providing the line art for you to use making this painting even simpler. You can download the line art here.
Supplies
I am adding the brands I used incase you’re curious, but feel free to use what you have on hand.
Violet (Arteza)
Rose (Arteza)
Phthalo Blue (Arteza)
Payne's Gray (Daniel Smith)
Black India Ink (Dr. Ph Martin’s)
Bleed proof White (Dr. Ph Martin’s)
Watercolor Paper (Canson XL)
Black waterproof pen (Micron)
Painter’s Tape
Pencil and eraser
A large brush if you have one
Steps:
1. Transfer the line art to watercolor paper. I like using a lightbox. You can find the one I use here.
2. Tape the watercolor paper to a board, your table or other smooth surface. We’ll be using a lot of water so you’ll want to tape down your work to help keep your paper from buckling.
3. Outline the wolf and cliff in the black waterproof pen. I didn’t do this on mine, but wish I had because once you add paint it can be hard to see the pencil lines.
4. Darken your violet, rose and blue with Payne's gray. I made mine fairly dark. This will make it easier to see the stars when you add them.
5. Paint the entire paper with water (avoiding the moon) one section at a time and drop in your colors randomly. (Leave the moon white, but you can paint over the wolf.) I like using a large brush here so that I can quickly paint it and so that the paint has time to move around. You can also tilt your board (if you have one) to help move the paint around. Avoid going back and forth with your brush as this will turn everything into 1 color.
6. Dry your paper completely. I like using a heat tool or blow dryer.
7. Add stars using bleed proof white and splattering with your brush. You’ll need to add water to your brush, otherwise the paint won’t splatter.
8. Paint the Moon (avoid the wolf) - Paint with water, then add craters using Paynes Gray and Blue. Hold your paint brush vertical to drop in the color. This will make the paint look circular and like a crater. Drop in salt while it’s wet. Also, try to add more paint to one side of the moon to give it more dimension.
9. Dry your painting then scrape the salt off with your finger or a stiff piece of cardboard.
10. Fill in the wolf and cliff using India ink.
11. Remove the tape and enjoy your art!
*Note-you could also begin your project by painting the wolf and cliff in ink which would make it easier to paint everything around it, however you’ll have to wait a full 24-48 hours to make sure the ink is 100% dry. When I begin my art with ink I always let it rest for a day or 2 before painting to avoid the ink bleeding.
As always friend,
You belong here.
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