Learning objectives
■ Practise watercolour techniques including negative painting and layering
■ How to create form through shading
There are 5,000 different species of ladybirds in the world but only 26 in the UK, many of which can be spotted in gardens and woodlands. They are an extremely lovely subject to paint with their bright colours, contrasting spots and the shine of their elytra (the hard covers that protect their delicate wings and soft body).
In this exercise, I will be showing you how I created volume through shading, tonal values using layers of colour, and a glistening shine on the body. I kept the background and surrounding flora loose, retaining only a small part of it in focus while using negative-painting techniques.
You will need
■ Surface
• 300gsm
