Breathe Wall Art

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolour Paint Tubes: Purple Lake, Cerulean Blue Hue, Ultramarine, Emerald
• Winsor & Newton Cotman 1/2" One Stroke & Wash Brush
• 9"x 12" Cold Press Watercolor Paper
• Ceramic or Plastic Watercolor Palette Well (4 wells needed)
• Winsor & Newton ProMarker in Black
• Glass of Water
• Plastic Wrap

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cover your work surface with a disposable covering and fill a glass or cup with water.
2. Cut a 9in x 12in sheet of watercolour paper to measure 8"x 10" in size.
3. To mix the four different paint colors, dispense a pea-sized amount of Purple Lake into one well on the palette, a pea-sized amount of Cerulean Blue Hue into another well on the palette, and then do the same with the Ultramarine and Emerald paint tubes into two more wells on the palette. Using the 1/2" One Stroke and Wash brush as if it were a spoon, place 10 scoops of water into each well of the palette. Stir the water and the paint together, cleaning the brush in-between stirring and mixing each color. The paint should have an equal paint to water ratio and have a 50-60% opacity level.
4. Discard water in glass container and refill with clean water. Apply water to paper and then apply paint to paper using the brush, apply an even layer of water to the entire 8x10 sheet of paper. This will allow the paint to blend softly into the paper when it is applied and it will also slow down the drying time and allow more time for adjustments.
5. Immediately after applying water to the paper, apply all four paint colors to the paper. Do this by applying the colors wherever desired, but apply slightly more of the blues than green or purple. Start with one color, then rinse the brush and apply another color. Work back and forth between the colors, but try not to do too much mixing or blending on the paper with the colors; rather, let them organically bleed into other as much as possible. While the colors on the palette are analogous and will blend well together, allowing the four colors to blend together as little as possible will yield a more distinct look.
6. Immediately after applying the paint colors, tear off a strip of plastic wrap, slightly bunch it with your fingers, and then lay it over a section of the wet paint. Repeat this process until the whole paper is covered with plastic wrap. Then, very gently press down on the plastic wrap with your hands to make sure it evenly covers the watercolor paper.
7. Allow the painting to fully dry before attempting to remove the plastic wrap. The drying time will take longer than usual with the plastic wrap laying over top the paint, so a drying time of four to six hours is recommended.
8. Once the paint is fully dry, gently lift the plastic wrap from the watercolor paper and discard.
9. Using the provided outline as a guide, draw on the lettering "Breathe" with the Black marker. Thicken up the down strokes on each letter by going over those areas a second time.