Some of you might wonder why I’m sharing a watercolour tutorial.
Clients are always looking for artists who can offer them something unique and different. Here’s why I feel that knowing commentary skills is crucial for all professional calligraphers to grow their businesses. It helps you to diversify your offering and give more options to the clients. You can charge them for these skills, which can be beneficial for both you and your clients. Along with that, it helps you add a little more variety to your portfolio to make it more interesting and visually appealing. This helps you broaden your audience and client base.
Kinjal Gala Hariya is a Mumbai-based calligrapher and artist. She is known for her delicate florals and intricate designs, combining calligraphy with watercolours to create beautiful pieces of art. Her work is highly sought after due to her unique style and attention to detail.
Check out this comprehensive watercolour floral tutorial for a detailed guide!
Here’s the breakdown of the materials used:
- 100% cotton material Brustro paper- 300 GSM
- Colours: Rose Madder, Ultramarine, Gamboge, and Sap Green
- Palette to mix colours
- Two jars of water ready to go
- Princeton Heritage Round brush- size 6 (For more detailed work, use smaller brushes, from size 0 for fine details to size 2 for florals)
Before you get started do a quick warm-up exercise
Dilute the rose madder watercolour and apply light pressure with the brush tip, gradually pressing down for thicker strokes and lifting slowly for thinner ones, resembling petals. If things get messy, switch to a larger brush. Remember, achieving thick and thin strokes with just one brush is all about the pressure you apply, so keep practicing to get the hang of it!
Now, begin by painting a big flower, making petal shapes like you practiced before. If getting the downward stroke feels difficult, simply turn your paper for more comfort while creating the stroke. Add a darker colour to the center of the flower for depth. If you want to add small details, use another brush and work quickly. In watercolours, you need to be quick. Add smaller details while the first layer is still wet.
Once the big flowers are placed, add a few small flowers in rose madder and ultramarine blue. You could also try berry-like shapes. Place them irregularly and try not to make everything look evenly spread out to make the composition interesting.
Next, add tiny leaves to fill in the white spaces. Alternatively, add yellow tiny dots creating a splash of color in your florals. Make sure there is a balance between negative space and colours.
While working with the stems, gently connect all the flowers using just the tip of the brush with very light pressure for thinner strokes.
Once the painting is dry, pick the same colour with less paint and add fine lines or details to add depth to the painting. Use the dry painting technique for this.
Add a few final touches, and have fun trying out different colours and shades to explore various tonal values. The more you enjoy using the paint, colours, and brushstrokes, the better your painting will turn out.
For more tutorials and tips, make sure to follow @thecalligraphysquare! We’ve got plenty of helpful content to share.
Big thanks to Kinjal Gala for putting together this tutorial! I hope you found it insightful reading this post!
