Paint Ducks in a Row in Watercolor
A mother duck and her babies marching all in a row is a fun sight to see. Illustrated books have been written about these charming creatures who walk with a waddle and have webbed feet for swimming. These aquatic birds are not difficult to draw and a row of downy ducklings, in tight formation, led by mom, are easy and fun to paint. Since water is their habitat, depicting them on or near the water in the medium of watercolor makes a lot of sense.
Steps
Planning and Sketching
- Become comfortable with drawing ducks. The adult duck can be drawn in three simple shapes; body, neck, and head. Add legs, feet and the distinctive, rounded beak to complete the mother.
- Draw fewer shapes for ducklings. Try different poses because, like all babies, they like to explore their new world from many vantage points and angles.
- Draw a drake or daddy duck. Plan ahead if you want to include a drake. He requires only one more basic shape than the female, but his colors are unique.
- Think of various environments for ducks. They might include a park, an overgrown weed area near water, a pond, a backyard child's pool or a rain filled city gutter.
- Get extra information about how ducks look. Study children's picture books from the library such as Make Way for Ducklings or the Ugly Duckling. Look at what the internet can offer by Googling ducks and ducklings.
- Keep your imagination working. Inspiration will come. Suddenly, you will be able to envision how you want your painting to look. On a sheet of #140 cold pressed watercolor paper in a pad, turned back to use the cardboard backing to support your paper, sketch your ideas.
Painting
- Settle yourself in a well-lit spot. Put a little water on the color pads of a good set of pan watercolors to activate the pigments. You will also need brushes, a water container, a few tissues for catching drips and to absorb excess water from your brush. Put out a smaller scrap of watercolor paper to test colors.
- Begin at any point you want. Many people like to do what they consider the "hard" part first. This is, to some, the figures or main subject. Others like to begin by doing the background, but either way is good.
- Work fairly pale at first. Do this by diluting the color with a lot of water. Glide on a sheer coating of color, working until the whole painting has a layer of color. Aim for an all-over coat at first. Allow this to dry and use a hairdryer if you wish.
- Punch up the colors with another layer of paint. Add shadows on the undersides of the ducks, under the wings, head, and neck. Put deeper colors on grass, field water, and sky. Again, let this layer dry thoroughly.
Adding Details
- Use a small pointed brush to add details. On the birds, add beaks. Texture the adults with short strokes to represent feathers. On the babies, represent the down with little dots and short strokes.
- Do final touches. With a fine, pointed brush accent what needs bringing out. Keep outlining to a minimum because it is always better to under than overwork a piece. You can always add more later.
- If desired, work as illustrators do. Use a black, fine line Sharpie marker and sketch over the colors. Either style of finishing is great. Enjoy your finished watercolor by framing it and hanging it for all to see year-round. It will help you to remember springtime and little ducklings marching behind their mom. It's a good way to remind you to "keep your ducks in a row," too.
Tips
- Drawing and painting nature allows you to "own" it. By painting a scene you will always have a special connection to the subject, place, etc.
- If you are a beginner, forget about perfection. Watercolor is a fairly "impressionistic" medium. If you want every detail, take a photograph.
