CREATE TEXTURE IN WATERCOLOURS
ImagineFX|July 2020
AUDREY BENJAMINSEN explores her watercolour process, from initial design to painting techniques, as she creates a golden mermaid full of luminous layers
AUDREY BENJAMINSEN
CREATE TEXTURE IN WATERCOLOURS

There’s much to be said about the power of shapes, textures and colour, and the wild variety of ways you can make them play together with watercolour. You can control the medium to an extent, but there’ll no doubt be unexpected opportunities and surprises.

I suspect this is why I love it for fantasy art; the material just suits the spirit of the subject matter. This workshop will show how you can take a simple sketch, and transform it into a fully imagined fantasy creature through the magic of watercolour.

You don’t always have to have a sketch to paint in watercolour, though. You can jump right in and draw your concept on the paper from your mind. I work both ways, but love the process of drawing my ideas, then designing, editing and planning a bit. All the big questions about shape, structure and colour are answered in my sketch and colour study, so I’m free to explore techniques while knowing everything is going to (hopefully!) turn out okay.

I’m drawn to the tangible world of traditional materials. It’s a marvel the range of techniques you can get from water, brushes and a small amount of pigment. I look at the work of Holbein and Alan Lee and am awestruck that it, too, is watercolour.

One of my favourite tools for building up intricate layers of washes is a Round Kolinsky sable hairbrush. Nothing compares to its ability to retain water and shape. I’d also recommend using synthetic ones. They both have their own unique strengths, but one doesn’t require the hair of the Siberian weasel. (I mostly use synthetic for this workshop.)

Denne historien er fra July 2020-utgaven av ImagineFX.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra July 2020-utgaven av ImagineFX.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA IMAGINEFXSe alt
Raquel M. Varela
ImagineFX

Raquel M. Varela

Raquel is inspired by magic, fantasy and fairy tales. She loves designing female characters from distant worlds. \"My greatest reference is Loish's art, thanks to her I learned to draw the movement and fluidity I like to convey.\"

time-read
1 min  |
November 2024
Estrela Lourenço
ImagineFX

Estrela Lourenço

Estrela is a children's book author and illustrator. Her work is influenced by her background in character animation and storyboards for clients such as Cartoon Network, and she channels comic strips like Calvin and Hobbes.

time-read
1 min  |
November 2024
Daria Widermanska
ImagineFX

Daria Widermanska

Daria, also known as Anako, has been drawing for as long as she can remember. Inspired by Disney and classic anime, she loves creating new characters and often finds that a single sketch can spark a unique story.

time-read
1 min  |
November 2024
Allen Douglas
ImagineFX

Allen Douglas

Allen has been painting professionally since 1994 for the publishing and gaming industries. Inspired by folklore, he distorts the size, relationships and environments of animals, and calls his paintings 'unusual wildlife'.

time-read
1 min  |
November 2024
Thaddeus Robeck
ImagineFX

Thaddeus Robeck

Thaddeus has been drawing from the moment he could hold a pencil, but it was the 2020 lockdowns that gave him the time to focus on honing his skills.

time-read
1 min  |
November 2024
DRAW FASCINATING SYMBOLIC ARTWORK
ImagineFX

DRAW FASCINATING SYMBOLIC ARTWORK

Learn how JULIÁN DE LA MOTA creates a composition from his imagination with a focus on crafting figures, volumetric modelling, and light and shadow

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2024
First Impressions
ImagineFX

First Impressions

The artist talks about his journey into the mythological world

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2024
CREATIVE STRENGTH IN COMMUNITY
ImagineFX

CREATIVE STRENGTH IN COMMUNITY

Co-founder and creative force André Luís talks about the ethos and evolution of Trojan Horse Was A Unicorn

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2024
Gigi Murakami
ImagineFX

Gigi Murakami

Shock and terror! Step into the world of the American horror manga artist, where her tastes are on full display

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2024
The path to the top at a video games company
ImagineFX

The path to the top at a video games company

No cheat codes required Tanya Combrinck finds out exactly what it takes to make the leap from burgeoning student to game-shaping art director

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2024