Lighting and color in watercolor illustration
A course by Julie Mellan , Illustrator
Discover the role that lights, shadows, and color play in creating narrative watercolor illustrations.
Unleash your creativity and master the art of lighting and color in illustration. This course invites you to explore how light, shadows, and colors interact to create expressive atmospheres. From sunny days to moody nights, learn to transform a single scene into multiple versions, each with its unique mood and story. Whether using traditional materials like watercolors and pencils or digital tools like Procreate, discover techniques to enhance your illustrations' depth and emotion.
Dive deep into the nuances of value contrast and color harmony. Understand how light sources affect the perception of color and texture, and see how complementary colors can make your compositions pop. Gain insights into the universal language of color schemes and how they evoke different emotions. By the end, you'll be equipped to create illustrations that not only tell a story but also resonate with viewers on an emotional level. Whether you're a beginner or have some drawing experience, this course will enrich your understanding of color and light, enhancing your artistic journey.
What will you learn in this online course?
14 lessons & 25 downloads
- 100% positive reviews (3)
- 150 students
- 14 lessons (1h 34m)
- 25 additional resources (8 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, German, Spanish (Latam), French, Indonesian, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Create four captivating variations of the same scene, exploring daylight, night, rainy ambiance, and a magical touch with sparkles. Develop skills in lighting, shadow placement, and color schemes, enhancing your storytelling and artistic expression through this imaginative project.
Who is this online course for?
Aspiring illustrators eager to master lighting and color techniques will benefit from this course, particularly those with basic drawing skills seeking to create expressive atmospheres. Perfect for artists interested in enhancing storytelling through light, shadow, and vibrant color schemes.
Requirements and materials
No extensive prior knowledge needed, though basic drawing skills help. Gather paper, sketchbook, pencils (H, HB, B), eraser, watercolor paper, watercolors, brushes, and cloth. Optionally, use iPad/Procreate or other mediums. Dive into creating expressive atmospheres with these materials.
Reviews
Julie Mellan
A course by Julie Mellan
Julie Mellan is a French illustrator and self-confessed watercolor addict who specializes in illustrations for children’s books. She spent her childhood reading Beatrix Potter’s books and drawing animal characters from Disney movies, before going on to study classic drawing, painting, illustration, and animation at the French art school École Émile Cohl. After graduating, she continued to combine sketching and watercolors to create expressive animal characters, and eventually published her first book in 2013.
Julie uses traditional mediums to tell stories through her illustrations and create connections between characters. Her work has appeared in children’s books published by the likes of Penguin Random House, Clavis, and Fleurus.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Values
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Materials
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Light and Shadows
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The Values and Contrast
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U3
Colors
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Local Colors and Those Brought by the Light
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Creating a Harmony
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Universal Feelings Expressed by Color
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U4
Creating Different Atmospheres
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The Sketches
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Daylight
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Moody and Rainy
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Magical Night Scenery
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U5
Creating Narratives
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Completing the Story
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Publisher Feedback and How to Edit
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FP
Final project
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Lighting and Color for Watercolor Illustration
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
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Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
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Certificates
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Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
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FAQs
What are Domestika's online courses?
Domestika courses are online classes that allow you to learn new skills and create incredible projects. All our courses include the opportunity to share your work with other students and/or teachers, creating an active learning community. We offer different formats:
Original Courses: Complete classes that combine videos, texts, and educational materials to complete a specific project from start to finish.
Basics Courses: Specialized training where you master specific software tools step by step.
Specialization Courses: Learning paths with various expert teachers on the same topic, perfect for becoming a specialist by learning from different approaches.
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When do the courses start and when do they finish?
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
What do Domestika's courses include?
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
Have you been given a course?
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
I thoroughly enjoyed the course! Julie did a great job of demonstrating the technique and explaining how she approached the challenge. The course is well organized and Julie is a terrific teacher! Thank you!
Como sus anteriores cursos este está muy bien.
bueno