Floral Watercolor Demonstration by Birgit O'Connor

Watercolor demo

In this demo from Birgit O'Connor, instead of mixing color on the palette, you'll allow two pigments to blend directly on the paper. Both pigments can appear separate in intensity, but with a nice transitional blend into a third color. The white areas you leave, the amount of water you use, and the different values will give the washes a luminous appearance.

This demonstration is an excerpt from Birgit O'Connor's book,Watercolor in Motion.

How to Paint a Water Drop with Watercolor

There is a very simple technique you can use to add water drops to a painting. A realistic waterdrop creates a three-dimensional illusion and leaves a lasting impression on the viewer.  Get an idea of how this technique works by doing this simple exercise from Birgit O'Connor.

Birgit O'Connor teaches workshops in her studio in Bolinas, California and has published instructional books including Watercolor in Motion: How to Create Powerful Paintings, Step by Step and Watercolor Essentials: Techniques for Exploring, Painting and Having Fun, both available at Amazon.com.

Painting Flowers Step by Step: Pansy Power

Little Pansy, 10x15 watercolor by Birgit O'Connor

Watercolor artist Birgit O'Connor demonstrates painting a close-up view of a pansy.   She writes: "When painting small flowers like pansies, it’s often hard to recognize a good composition from a poor one. The immediate response is usually to clump the small flowers together and make a bouquet. I recommend, instead, treating the pansy as you would any other flower: Focus on shape, shadow and color—the elements that can transform these small wonders into a bold composition."

Birgit O'Connor teaches workshops in her studio in Bolinas, California and has published instructional books including Watercolor in Motion: How to Create Powerful Paintings, Step by Step and Watercolor Essentials: Techniques for Exploring, Painting and Having Fun, both available at Amazon.com.

Painting Flowers Step by Step: Radiant Reds

Watercolor artist Birgit O'Connor writes:  "Flowers are gorgeous and joyful in a bouquet or a garden, but I love to paint blooms up close, so I can bring to light their intricate, often convoluted, forms."   In this step by step flower demonstration she paints with a mix of Winsor red, permanent alizarin crimson and quinacridone magenta with vivid results. .