Create a Gouache Floral Using a Stencil in Affinity Designer

About This Class

When it comes to watercolour painting on the iPad, there are so many techniques. If you’ve taken some of my classes already, you might have noticed that I’m a little bit obsessed with digital watercolour! I have made so many watercolour brushes that it is sometimes hard to choose which ones to use! I have narrowed it down to my favorites, which I am supplying with the class. We will be focussing on exploring these brushes, and using them to paint some fresh, fun geraniums. We will be using traditional watercolor techniques to make our digital watercolor look authentic. I will show you how to make your blooms look their best. And, of course, there’ll be plenty of tips thrown in too! This class is suitable for all levels, though some Procreate knowledge is definitely an asset.

At the end of my class, you will have learned more about Procreate and composition, especially how to use layers, clipping masks, the selection tool, and how to add texture, volume and color variation to your floral. Most importantly, you will learn how to paint a watercolor illustration in a simple way with new painting techniques.

In this class in Procreate, you’ll learn how to replicate traditional messy watercolor digitally and then we’ll add on skills, techniques and methods as the course progresses. This allows you to capitalize on all of the advantages of painting digitally. Everything is step-by-step so you’ll be able to follow along even if you’ve never painted with real watercolors before. I explain the behaviours of real watercolours as we work our way through and explain how to achieve those looks digitally.

Besides having no mess when you’re painting, there are so many other advantages. Don’t you love the double-tap undo to make mistakes literally disappear? You can’t do that with the natural media! You can adjust one part of your painting without affecting nearby elements, and I explain how to use saturation, brightness and hue adjustments to perk up dull color. I even provide a paper-textures document so nothing is left to chance!

In this class I’ll walk you through:

• my step-by-step method for working in digital watercolour

• my workflow for use of layers and how they can work together

• adding authentic accents like water drops, spatter and smears

• adding texture using the paper document supplied

• tips for adjusting compositions for different uses

• methods for keeping the art fully editable for later adjustments and recoloring

I think you will enjoy this class, particularly the efficiency strategies I build in. I will show you how to accomplish digitally what normally needs to be done with natural media and takes so much time. This class should get you started and show you what is ultimately possible. With the provided assets and the step-by-step instructions, you’ll be finishing a unique and lovely piece in short order!!

The key concepts I will include:

• review of watercolour brushes such as mops and blenders

• a look at adjusting the size and orientation of a document for alternate uses

• approaches you can take for adding lettering

Learning watercolour techniques will give you an exciting new set of skills and techniques. With watercolour digital art there are so many expressive methods you can learn. I anticipate you will produce and amazing piece!

Intro to Foolproof Watercolor Geranium in Procreate

This short intro will give you an overview of the class.

Lesson 1: Getting the Document Set Up

In this lesson, I’ll talk about natural watercolor and show you all the layers on my document and how they work together. I will also take you through the steps of creating the initial silhouette using a “go-for-it” technique and in contrast, tracing from a photo. You will see the results are very similar. Both have a ragged edge to help make them look like traditional watercolour on a textured paper.

Lesson 2: Watercolor Theory and lnitial Color

In this lesson, I will show you a bunch of the brushes I have included. I show you how I lay down color and I talk about traditional techniques and how to achieve the same results with the brushes I have supplied. I want you to experiment with all the brushes and you can use the color palette I have supplied.

Lesson 3: Authentic Watercolor Details

I will show you some of the key techniques I use for adding authentic accents and explain every step of the way. By the end of the lesson, you will have the main color details done, and you will know how to use some of the additional brushes in the accompanying download to add spatter effects. At this point, I want to add paper textures and we will do that in the next lesson.

Lesson 4: Textures and Background Ideas

Now that we have the main flowers with details mostly complete, it’s time to start adding some background accents. I will show you the method I use for adding a ton of texture. We will accomplish that by using textural brushes and then a technique where we import an existing background and alter it to be more subtle.

Lesson 5: Altering the Layout and Adding Text

I decided to change the format of my artwork so I could create it in the right size and proportions for a greeting card. This takes a few steps, but it is a good thing to know how to do. I then add text and I will show you how to give it a more hand-done feel. We also spend some time adding some of the finishing touches in this lesson.

Lesson 6: Closing Thoughts and Mockups

We will conclude everything in this lesson. I show you a couple of quick mock-ups with the art.

Concepts covered:

Concepts covered include but are not limited to Procreate design, layering, Procreate brushes and stamps, Procreate canvas settings, changing size and proportion of the canvas, brush adjustments, adding authentic watercolor textures, clipping masks, texture with layers, adding an authentic artwork for a background, sizing of documents and brushes, adding texture with brushes, procreate brushes for adding other interesting details, workflow best practices, painting best practice, Procreate composites, techniques with paints and blending, and much more.

You will get…

• approx 50 minutes of direction from an instructor who has been in graphic design business and education for over 40 years

• knowledge of multiple ways to solve each design challenge

• an outline, a brush set, a mixed media background and a color palette

Project Description

To create this piece, start with the initial silhouette. Add clipping masks to block in the main areas of color first. Once complete, start experimenting with the different brushes as I demonstrate in the lessons. Add any little details to make it look more interesting, employing some of the suggestions I make in the lessons. Use textures and details to add interest to the geranium. When you feel it is somewhat complete, add the background. Make the whole piece as rich as possible. Enjoy the process! You will learn so much by experimenting, so don’t rush. I would even suggest duplicating your artwork to try two vastly different backgrounds as I demonstrated in the lessons.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have access to the course materials?

You can view and review the lecture materials indefinitely, like an on-demand channel.

Can I take my courses with me wherever I go?

Definitely! If you have an internet connection, courses on Udemy are available on any device at any time. If you don’t have an internet connection, some instructors also let their students download course lectures. That’s up to the instructor though, so make sure you get on their good side!