Watercolor artist Sarah Stokes shares her creative process in the latest Domestika Diary

Watercolor artist Sarah Stokes talks to us about her daily habits and creative routines in this Domestika Diary

UK watercolor artist Sarah Stokes (@sarah_stokes) is best known for her beautiful and unique animal watercolors. Her ability to create realistic portraits with her energetic trademark paint splashes has made her a household name in the UK and beyond. In her Domestika Diary she gives us a glimpse into her daily life at the studio.

Sarah works from her studio in a small village called Arley in Worcestershire, UK, which is next to the River Severn. Sarah’s lucky enough to have a beautifully lit workspace with large windows and stunning views of the river.

She keeps her studio well organized, with architect drawers and a big desk to work on. Her watercolors are kept in tins and she makes sure these are always kept in order, which she says is essential when you are quickly working with watercolors.

Like a lot of painters, she has several brushes but admits to only using four for most of her work. They’re all synthetic and are a size 12, a size 6/8, a fine liner, and a scrubbing brush.

It’s clear from her work that Sarah’s an animal lover, and her faithful dog Winnie is never far from her side. She shows us some of their walking routes and talks about her appreciation of being able to watch the changing of the seasons during these strolls.

Painting new images is a huge part of her work, but so is preparing them for sale. She shows us her process of edging and signing her paintings, and of course adding those signature splashes of color around the edges of her work.

If you want to learn more about her work and how to create your own wildlife watercolors, check out her course Artistic Watercolor Techniques for Illustrating Birds.

You may also like:

- Domestika Diary: Francinne de Miranda
- Domestika Diary: Emma Hanquist
- Domestika Diary: Emillie Ferris