How to Paint a Pumpkin with Watercolors

Materials Needed:
1. A medium or larger round brush or mop brush, depending on the size of your paper. I use an #8 round brush and a #4 mop brush.
2. Watercolor paper. I prefer 300gsm, 100% cotton paper.
3. Watercolors! The colors I used for this painting are: Schmincke Transparent Orange, Daniel Smith Undersea Green, Van Gogh Vine Yellow, and Burnt Sienna.
4. A jar of water.
5. A kitchen towel or cloth.

Instructions:
1. Begin with the first layer using a medium/light tone—a mixture with more water in the paint.
2. Gradually build up the values and depth layer by layer.
3. For details, increase the color intensity by mixing more pigment with less water.
4. Have fun and don’t worry about perfection. Keeping the painting loose can help alleviate any tension or intimidation you might feel just by looking at what you’re about to paint. Remember, painting or creating art should be enjoyable. Now it’s your turn to try. I hope you enjoy the painting process.

Here’s how the final painting looks.

Pro Tip 1:
Watercolor painting is a relatively affordable medium to start with. All you need is a basic set of watercolors, or you can begin with primary colors in tubes or half pans. You can mix almost any color from the primaries.

Pro Tip 2:
I strongly recommend using good-quality watercolor paper—you can save on paints, but you shouldn’t skimp on paper when painting with watercolors. Cheap paper will give you trouble as you work through your painting. Trust me, you need paper that can handle and absorb water well. I recommend using 100% cotton paper.