Mixed Technique Greeting Card - Olive the Dog

Materials used:

Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen

Faber-Castell Goldfaber Aqua Watercolor Pencils

Faber-Castell Goldfaber Color Pencils

Pencil and eraser

Watercolor brushes, small and medium

Water

Light table or bright window

10-in. x 6-in. strip of folded watercolor paper to create a 5 x 6 card

Greeting card

This is a simple greeting card project using a combination of black pen, colored pencils and watercolor pencils. You will learn a variety of exciting techniques combining these 3 versatile tools, creating artistic effects unmatched by other brands.

To Begin:

1. Trace the drawing with a pencil onto the front of your greeting card using a bright window or light table, then go over it with the black water proof Pitt Artist Pen. Gently erase any visible pencil marks.

2.Background:
Lightly color the background with Goldlfaber Aqua #131 Coral. Color in a diagonal motion.

TIP
Set yourself up with a scrap piece of watercolor paper at hand to try out the colors you will be us- ing and to experiment with techniques as you go.

3.Starting from the center of the illustration, paint over the dry color with a wet paint brush. Create the soft vignetted edge of the background by pushing out a little more water from your brush as you paint outward. Let dry.

TIP
Rotating the paper as you paint will help you easily access all of the small areas and gain more control with your brush.

4.Flower #1
Scribble and transfer
Scribble Goldfaber Aqua #125 Pink, and #167 Permanent Green Olive onto your scratch paper. Bear down hard. Activate the paint with your wet brush.

5.Transfer the pink pigment to your artwork and paint the center of the flower and dots for the stamen. Paint leaves entirely green. Let dry.
Color the rest of the flower with Goldfaber Colored Pencils #147 Light Blue, #105 Light Cadmium Yellow, and #167 Permanent Green Olive (leaf veins.)
TIP
Use appropriate brush sizes for different areas. A larger brush for larger areas (flower center and leaves) will give a smoother effect, while a smaller brush will work better for small areas (flower stamen.)

6.Flower #2
Using the scribble and transfer method, paint the flowers in Goldfaber Aqua #153 Colbalt Turquoise.
TIP
To adjust a color that is not intense enough, scribble again and add less water. Repaint the wet surface. To lighten a color that is too dark, use a dry brush on the wet painted surface and absorb some of the color.

7.Flower #3
Wet on wet technique
Begin by painting the flower with clear water. Then use the scribble and transfer method using Goldfaber Aqua #125 Middle Purple Pink, and then Goldfaber Aqua #118 Scarlet Red. You will see the pigment quickly bleed into the wet surface as you touch it with the brush. At this point, you can quickly push the paint around with your brush. When dry, paint the top edge of the flower red.

8.Flower #4
Create a new color
To make the color for the lime green stem and leaves, color a base of Goldfaber #105 Light Cadmium Yellow, and then Goldfaber #170 May Green on top. Experiment on scratch paper with applying more or less pressure to the 2 pencils to achieve different shades of color.
TIP
Use sharp pencils to fill the tooth (texture) of the paper for a more solid color look.

9.Layer
For the red flowers, create a more vibrant and interesting effect by layering Goldfaber #121 Pale Geranium Lake over Goldfaber #105 Light Cadmium Yellow. Let a little yellow peek through.

10.Olive’s body
Wet on wet technique.
Follow the method described in step #7 with Goldfaber Aqua #199 Black. Let the paint spread in it’s own spontaneous way, creating a unique look.
Let dry.
TIP
To keep Olive a smooth, soft light black, make your paint very watery. If Olive gets too dark, the black will look too heavy for the overall illustration.

11.Olive’s head. Repeat the above method for Olive’s head and ears. When dry, color her tan markings with Goldfaber Aqua #187 Burnt Ochre, followed by a dab of water with the tip of your wet brush.
TIP
Painting Olive’s head and ears separately after her body has dried, creates a nice separation in the black tones.

12.Grass
Lightly color the grass area with Goldfaber Aqua #170 May Green, and paint over it with a wet brush, creating the soft vignetted edge as in the first step. Dot the center of the flowers with yellow. Let dry.

Download the entire art lesson, here!