Mastering Light & Shadow in Watercolor Portraits

Patreon -   / janebeata  
Skillshare - https://www.skillshare.com/en/r/user/...

Struggling with light and shadow in watercolor portraits? This video will walk you through how to paint dramatic lighting—from preserving your highlights to building soft, believable shadows that don’t look muddy.

In this video, I’ll take you through the full process of painting a portrait with strong lighting contrast, share my favorite techniques for controlling value, and show you how to balance softness and texture throughout the piece.

🔹 Want to go deeper? Download the sketch & watch the full real-time process on Patreon → / janebeata
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📌 Chapters / Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
00:26 Choosing the Right Colors
02:28 Preserving the Highlights (First Wash)
03:02 Painting Freeflow Hair & Background
04:42 Color Mixing & Painting Technique for Shadows (Explained Simply)
06:48 Tips for Beginners
08:24 Building Up Layers & Details
09:25 Tips for Bright, Expressive Eyes
10:02 Technique for Painting Eyebrows & Lashes
10:50 How to STOP Overthinking it
11:40 Loosening the Hair + Background
12:05 How to Bring Back the Light (Techniques)
13:28 Experimenting with Metallic Watercolor (+ How to Use it)
14:49 Final Touches + Reflections

⭐⭐⭐ My most frequently used ART SUPPLIES: ⭐⭐⭐
(Using these links helps support this channel at no extra cost to you!)

Winsor & Newton professional watercolor paper, CP, 300gsm (100% cotton) → https://amzn.to/40HUqYO

Winsor & Newton Series 7 watercolor brushes (3,7) → https://amzn.to/4h8pWVq

Winsor & Newton flat brush synthetic sable, 1" → https://amzn.to/4jt2pQz

Daniel Smith tubes 5 ml → https://amzn.to/3HDazT0

Schmincke Horadam tubes 5 ml → https://amzn.to/3q6i6nv

Winsor & Newton watercolor → https://amzn.to/3E8JZVd


✩✩✩ let's connect! ✩✩✩

▲ PATREON -   / janebeata​  
▲ INSTAGRAM -   / ​  
▲ SKILLSHARE - https://www.skillshare.com/user/janeb...

🎵 Music: (Epidemic Sound)

#watercolorportrait #watercolortechniques #dramaticlighting #watercolorpainting #portraitart #paintingprocess