How to draw grapes in watercolor?

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Still life painting is very useful when you are just getting started with watercolors. In this article, you will find an easy watercolor tutorial for beginners that can be reused many times by painting different bunches.

Preparatory stage

In order to paint grapes in watercolor, you will need the following materials:

• watercolor paper, suitable size;
• simple hard pencil;
• eraser;
• brushes of various sizes;
• watercolors;
• glass or regular white palette;
• clean water;
• drawing tablet.

Sketch

Please note that to draw a still life in watercolor in stages, it is better to use a real branch of grapes in front of you or in the photo. In this master class there will be a principle of drawing grapes in general, you can use this method to draw any bunch of grapes.

To draw grapes in watercolor, you must first sketch.

• The first stage. Outline the silhouette of the vine and some grapes that sit on top of the other berries. They will be larger than the rest, as they are located closest to the artist. The trunk of the vine itself should not just be flat, in places it expands or narrows.
• Second stage. With sharp and confident strokes, outline a leaf of grapes, draw a few more grapes near those that are already on the leaf. The berries should not be located close, draw them under the previous ones. Note that the branch will look more natural when the brush is shaped like an inverted cone.
• Third stage. Give the sheet a complete shape, the edges should be slightly rounded and not symmetrical. Draw the veins on the leaf with straight lines. Continue to draw grapes, gradually moving them away from you. From above, draw a branch with a couple of large berries.
• The fourth stage. Draw the trunk of the branch and draw a grape mustache on it. On the sheet, draw smaller veins extending from the main ones. Draw a few more grapes, mark the highlights of the light. Don't forget the lower berries.

If you've worked with watercolors before, you know that paper will ripple when wet. To avoid this, the sheet must be stretched on a drawing tablet or glass of a suitable size (you can take it from a photo frame) if you do not have a wooden tablet.

Color Fill

When you finished sketching, you should have a cone-shaped bunch. In between the berries closest to you, lay a shadow with dark brown watercolor.

To draw grapeswatercolor, you need to get a little familiar with how shadows are applied. They are made up of several parts. The first and lightest is the highlight, then the color itself (the main shade), after the penumbra, which is the transition from color to shadow, and the shadow itself (the darkest area). Each grape should have all of these shading steps.

Remember that white paint is not welcome in watercolors. Therefore, it is better to leave highlights light immediately.

We apply the color in several stages. First we apply the main shade, it should be light, well diluted and completely cover every grape except for the glare. Slightly compacting the shade, apply it to a smaller area than the main color. Apply the darkest color around the edges. Check if all grapes have highlights, lights, partial shadows and shadows. This activity is quite difficult and may seem boring, but it is not. The result will definitely be worth the effort.

The barrel of the brush needs to be filled with brown, slightly darkening the shade in places, bring the grape mustache with green watercolor. Fill the sheet with light green, apply a slightly darker color near the veins, cover the veins themselves and the edges of the sheet with emerald green paint.

Your watercolor grape drawing is ready!