A Day in the Life, Contour Drawing

Trying to help adults feel the magic of watercolor painting is my job every Tuesday night at my neighborhood painting class. Children just go for it when they paint, they dive in and enjoy the process, who cares if I painted the daffodil purple?? Adults, I find need more direction, and also success to see that they really can achieve. One way to help a beginner along is to have the student do a number of contour drawings, then paint it. It is very simple really, just concentrate on the outside lines of the object and just draw what you see. Then go in with your brush loaded with paint and water and give it magical color!
I discovered this technique when I started to read Charles Reid’s books, the famous contemporary watercolorist. He recommends drawing like this daily to get a better feel for the world you are painting. I found it works and am passing along his advice.

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