VIDEO Tips and techniques about using watercolor media to create botanical paintings
​- plus commentary on associated tools and studio set-up
The Botanical Art Video Tips tutorials below are on YouTube and are by botanical artists. I've organised videos in this section by the artist producing the video. 

​If you want to see a larger version of the video:
  • click the bottom right hand corner of the video
  • you'll see an option to go to either full screen or view the video on YouTube.
  • I suggest you open the video in a new tab so you don't lose this page!

Video Tutorials by....

Botanical artists whose videos can be found below include:
  • Julia Trickey
  • ​Billy Showell
  • Krzysztof Kowalski 
  • David Reynolds
  • Jarnie Godwin

More Botanical Art Video Tips
Banner Image: This is a facsimile of a watercolour painting by Ferdinand Bauer. It comes from Illustrationes Florae Novae Hollandiae and shows the habit, colour, form and exploded details of Stylidium violaceum

Watercolour Painting Tips and Techniques
​

The videos on this page focus on tips and techniques specifically relevant to watercolour.

Anybody wanting to produce botanical paintings in watercolour is well advised to master the necessary skills in watercolour painting first.

There are lots of books and videos available teaching people about:
  • watercolour media
  • supports for watercolour media
  • equipment for watercolour painting
  • how to paint in watercolour.

You'll find more videos on my other Video TIPS pages:
Basic Watercolour Skills required for botanical art

  • the properties of different watercolour media e.g. opaque and transparent paint; other paints used eg gouache and egg tempera
  • best brushes for different techniques - one size does not fit all - the type of brush used very often varies according to the technique
  • How to apply paint: wet on dry paper; wet on wet paper, dry brush on a dry support - and variations inbetween
  • How to create special effects: e.g. how to control a wash; how to paint fine lines;  how to create hard and soft edges
  • glazing - layering transparent colours in such a way as to create an optical effect
  • lifting watercolour pigment - requires knowledge of pigments and the support used (e.g. paper or vellum) as well as methods for lifting
  • PLUS knowledge of how your watercolour paper works is essential - not all papers are the same. Some suit some watercolour techniques better than others and you need to get to know a paper to know how to exploit it

Julia Trickey GM SBA ASBA
​

Julia Trickey is a very experienced botanical artist who paints in watercolour. She has four Gold Medals and four Silver Gilt Medals from the RHS and has exhibited at the Hunt, with ASBA (winning an award) and the SBA (also winning awards). She is also a Fellow of the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society​
The video below explains the following techniques:
  • wet on dry
  • wet on wet - can cause problems with pigments bleeding into one another and paper cockling if you don't know what you're doing
  • damp brush - a technique used to build up and strengthen areas of the painting
  • dry brush - used for very precise lines and details; also used a lot by those painting on vellum
  • masking out - to retain the original paper
  • lifting out - to produce areas which are lighter than the surrounding painte
  • PLUS basic tips for effective watercolour painting

​Running time: 7 minutes
Remember the golden rule - never fiddle with drying paint!
Julia Trickey - in the video tutorial below.

Understanding Colour Mixing

This is a video by Julia Trickey about mixing colours using watercolour paint. 

​Running Time: 4 minutes
See more videos by Julia on the relevant Video TIPs pages on this website and also on her teaching website, her YouTube Channel.

Billy Showell
​

Billy Showell is a Past President of the Society of Botanical Artists and has been teaching people how to paint botanical art for many years. 

How to paint a cherry - using lifting preparation

This video by Billy Showell demonstrates how lifting preparation can be used to bring out highlights.

Running Time: 45 minutes

This is a full length tutorial which is an example of the sort of tutorial Billy releases every two weeks for those who have subscribed to her site.

Jarnie Godwin
​

Jarnie Godwin is a practising botanical artist and teacher of botanical art. 
This is her teaching website
​This is her YouTube Channel

Painting Wet into Damp Watercolor

This video by Jarnie Godwin provides static and video images of the results and "how to" aspects of painting wet into wet.

Krzysztof Kowalski 
​

To demonstrate WHY mastering watercolour techniques is so important, I'm including a video by an artist who is very experienced in painting flower paintings in watercolour - but NOT as botanical art

This is Krzysztof Kowalski who is trying his very first botanical painting.
At the beginning, it shows how you can protect your painting - while painting - using tracing paper with cutouts.

It's also very good for close-ups showing how wetting the paper and adding in colour with some finesse creates the base colour prior to the use of dry brush painting.  

​Also how the use of a brush with water can soften edges.

David Reynolds

How to lay a tea wash

​This video by David Reynolds illustrates how to lay a flat "tea wash" without creating brush marks.
​
It's a basic technique of watercolour painting much used by botanical artists.
MORE VIDEO TIPS