This elephant is inspired by beautiful Oaxacan wood animal carvings. Here’s how to do it:
STEP 1: Doodle some scribbly elephants in your sketchbook. Pick the one you like best, and scan into the computer. Enlarge to fit nicely on an 8″x10″ paper; print (I printed on 140# Fabriano hot press watrcolor paper).
STEP 2: With a black permanent marker, draw in curvy lines around the existing lines. Fill in.
STEP 3: Paint a transparent layer of watercolor, using several colors.
STEP 4: Using markers and colored pencils, color in your elephant with lines, dots and patterns until you are pleased.
(detail)
STEP 5: Finish with a white paint pen. Add dots along the black lines, and any other place you feel needs a little white.
Carla: This looks like fun! I FINALLY found my stored watercolors and paper last night. I hope the colors are still good! I want to try this! Thanks for doing this.
I am SO going to try this when I get home tonight! Thank you so much for sharing the technique!!!!
Love it. You’re brilliant.
BTW — “tawdirector” is Wendy. (I don’t know why it did that.)
Your elephant is amazing!
how beautiful! i can’t wait to try this – thanks for generously sharing your techniques! Kathy
I love this!
I love your own Oaxacan Dotted Elephant…So sweet of you to show how to do it.
XOXOrly
I LOVE the elephant – I enjoy your blog, thanks so much for sharing. I rarely comment, but do enjoy your work – thanks so much for sharing
I am all over this one. Maybe I will do a Oaxacan Sea Monster on our playdate! Well no, not unless it involves maps. But oh so tempting.
Looking forward to seeing you in your new environs.
Hugs
Me
Thanks Carla. I am wishing on every star that I can go to Journalfest in October!
What kind of white pen do you use?
Deborah D
Usually a Sharpie water-based white paint pen!
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Just beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing this tutorial with us. I am amazed at the end results, and I loved how you used different mediums to create it.
Shauna
myshaenoel.blogspot.com
I love this beautiful elephant, and it seems so fitting because the neighbor kids have chicken pocks!!! Thank you for sharing how to make it… best wishes from germany, tj
Carla, your elephant is luscious! Thanks for the tutorial.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I love the richness of the colors and the texture in the patterns…….I have always struggled with water colors (mostly because I’ve never learned what to do with them). I am going to give this technique a try….you inspire me!!
I love the way you did that!