Watercolor Elephant in 5 Simple Steps Painting Tutorial

Hey guys! Have you always wanted to paint a beautiful, noble, African elephant but you've just been too intimidated by all those details and wrinkles? In this video I'll be demonstrating five steps for painting an elephant that looks realistic and elegant but will be simple enough that you won't be tearing your hair out in frustration. And before we jump in, if you haven't already done so hit that subscribe button and turn on notifications so you never miss any of my new art videos. And be sure to watch all the way to the end because I'm going to give you a bonus tip on how to simplify painting complex subjects. Alright, let's jump in. Step 1. Limit your color palette. One of the keys to simplicity when it comes to painting is to use only a few colors. For this particular painting I'm using six colors, cerulean, indigo, yellow ochre, buff titanium, burnt umber, and a little bit of alizarin crimson which I only use on the background at the very end. As always I'll include a complete list of all my supplies in the description below. Step 2. Start with some background colors. When I paint on a loose expressive wet and wet wash of background color this really helps remove the anxiety just created by the blank page. I can breathe a sigh of relief when I see some colors on the paper and I can better visualize the atmosphere and energy I want the painting to radiate. For my painting I dropped in some indigo and cerulean. I wanted it to feel shifting and stormy to surround this strong enormous creature with a mood that supports its powerful presence. When I add the brown suggestion of grass I also use this as an opportunity to paint on a first layer of shadow in the legs and trunk, merging the background to the subject. Step 3. Paint on the lightest color all over the elephant. For this step I'm using buff titanium to paint on the first layer of the elephant. Because the background is still wet some backwash occurs so I just correct this with a few swipes of a clean dry mop brush. The background and the elephant feel merged in a way when we allow the different colors to meet. You can go back in with that same color and reinforce some of the darker areas within the light. If you want to paint along with me but feel like this video is moving way too fast click on the link in the description below this video for the full-length real-time narrated version of this tutorial which also comes with a reference photo and sketch. And while you're there grab my free guide on watercolor basics. It's a 20 page ebook that's packed with information every watercolor artist needs to know. Alright let's get back to the video. Step 4. Paint in the darkest shadow shapes. If you squint at the reference photo the details disappear and you can see very clearly defined shadow shapes in this elephant. Those shapes are the most important thing to articulate in your painting. If all you paint is the shadow shapes I guarantee it will still look like an elephant even without those glorious wrinkles. This is the most important step. So go big with this. I'm diving in with an intense mixture of indigo and burnt umber which creates a rich black. Step 5. Paint the most important wrinkles. How do you know which wrinkles to prioritize? If you squint again at your image and you can still see some of the wrinkles those are the most important ones. In this image the broad horizontal grooves in the elephant's trunk really stand out to me so I carefully paint those on connecting them with the wet dark paint of my shadow shapes. Any of the smaller wrinkle details can merely be suggested with quicker lighter brushstrokes. Just make sure your brushstrokes are being placed in the same direction the wrinkles are forming. Remember too that wrinkles are not just dark lines. They are curved convex shapes defined by a shadow, a mid-tone, and a highlight. On your most important wrinkles and on larger more defined shapes like the trunk spend a little extra time adding some mid-tones. This will really help it appear 3D. Now for my bonus tip. When you're painting a complex subject like an elephant work in sections. I broke the elephant up into sections starting with the legs and trunk, moving to the right ear and then the left ear, and then finishing with the middle of the head and finally adding the background effects. If you can be patient enough to commit to finish one little section at a time and you paint in layers, focusing on painting only the most important details, you will find the process of painting something like an elephant not stressful and intimidating but rather therapeutic and enjoyable. I hope you enjoyed my five tips for painting a realistic elephant. Check out these other videos on realistic animals and hit that like button and I'll see you in the next video. Thanks for watching!