Mixed Illustration Techniques: Combine Watercolor and Photoshop
A course by Camino LópezIllustrator and Print Designer
A course by Camino López, Illustrator and Print Designer
Learn to paint elements with watercolor and integrate them into a scene digitally
The magic of watercolors lies in knowing how to experiment with water and transparencies. However, illustrator Camino López discovered that digital editing is a great tool for fixing mistakes and unlocks the door to even more possibilities for experimentation. It allows her to sharpen details and play with volume, light, and color to create unique works of art.
Learn how to illustrate with watercolors and create attractive, balanced compositions with some help from technology. Experiment with basic watercolor techniques to paint different compositional elements and transform them into a stunning digital illustration.
What will you learn in this online course?
24 lessons & 32 downloads
What Will We Do in this Course?
3 minutes, 8 seconds
Documentation, Conceptualization and Selection of References
17 minutes, 9 seconds
Material
5 minutes, 4 seconds
Previous Sketch
17 minutes, 40 seconds
Color Palette
17 minutes, 23 seconds
Color Fades and Layers 1
17 minutes, 23 seconds
What's included in this course?
Start the course by getting to know your teacher, Camino López, and her passion for watercolors. She talks about her professional and artistic experience, her influences, and the artists that inspire her. She also explains the final project that you’ll be working on throughout the course.
Next, get all the materials you need to start drawing in order. Start by looking for references for your chosen topic, then decide what materials to use, and finally, draw a pencil sketch and create a color palette for your future illustration.
Fill your sketch with hand-painted elements and learn about the basic concepts of painting with watercolors: color blending and layers, volume through build up, textures, splash types, creation sections, and the wet-on-wet technique.
In the last unit, bring everything you’ve drawn together in Photoshop. Combine these digital elements and create your composition. Camino walks you through the final steps and shows you how to put the finishing touches on your illustration so it's more uniform, coherent, and conveys a particular mood.
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
Paint an illustration from scratch, inspired by a topic of your choice, using primarily watercolors and retouch it in Photoshop to create your final composition.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Artists, designers, illustrators, and other graphic artists, as well as drawing and watercolor enthusiasts, interested in this technique and learning how to complement it with digital editing.
Requirements and materials
You don’t need any previous experience with watercolors to take this course, but you do need to be familiar with some type of design program or digital environments to be able to follow your teacher’s instructions in Photoshop.
The materials for this course include paper and pencil, a ruler, watercolor materials (at least 300 GSM paper and some pigments), two or three paint brushes (one of them a thick size 12 or 14 brush), colored pencils, and a computer with Photoshop installed.
Reviews
- 3 years ago
I haven't completed the course yet. I enjoy learning the combination of watercolor and Photoshop at my own pace. Thank you.
- 3 years ago
Ha sido fabuloso me ha encantado, he aprendido mucho en este curso, me encantaría aprender con Camino más cosas sobre la acuarela romántica flores fondos, rostros, sombras y luces. Gracias por la enseñanza. Espero poder encontrar algún otro curso que complemente estas técnicas de acuarela. estoy muy contenta de haberlo hecho. Un saludo.
- 3 years ago
Gostei das aulas,mas achei meio devagar.Mas o conteúdo me agregou bastante conhecimento.
- 3 years ago
ótimo curso.
- 4 years ago
I am passionate about combining the watercolor process with digital methods. Great course, excellent lecturer - I recommend it!
Over the course of her career, she has worked on all sorts of creative projects including printmaking (especially for textiles) branding, illustrations in different formats, and even tableware. She shares her passion for illustration by giving workshops at her studio in Madrid where she teaches watercolor illustration and printmaking.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- What Will We Do in this Course?
- U2
Illustration Preparation
- Documentation, Conceptualization and Selection of References
- Material
- Previous Sketch
- Color Palette
- U3
Let's Start Drawing and Painting
- Color Fades and Layers 1
- Color Fades and Layers 2
- Volumes by Accumulation 1
- Volumes by Accumulation 2
- Textures and Types of Stains 1
- Textures and Types of Stains 2
- Textures and Types of Stains 3
- Stain Painting and Wet on Wet 1
- Stain Painting and Wet on Wet 2
- U4
Digital Post-Production
- Edition of Our Elements 1
- Edition of Our Elements 2
- Edition of Our Elements 3
- Composition 1
- Composition 2
- Last Steps and Final Details 1
- Last Steps and Final Details 2
- Last Steps and Final Details 3
- FP
Final project
- Mixed Illustration Techniques: Combine Watercolor and Photoshop
What to expect from a Domestika course
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FAQs
You’ll learn watercolor techniques to create textures, volume, and light effects, plus how to blend traditional illustration with digital editing in Photoshop to produce original, professional compositions.
You don’t need to be an expert, but basic drawing skills and some Photoshop knowledge are ideal since this is an intermediate course focusing on mixed techniques.
You’ll need watercolor paper, pigments, brushes, pencils, a computer with Photoshop installed, and access to reference images. Having a scanner or camera to digitize your artwork is also recommended.
You’ll start by creating watercolor illustrations, then digitize and edit the elements in Photoshop—correcting, composing, and enhancing the final image with digital tools.
Yes, the course teaches you how to create and edit illustrations for products like textiles, dishware, or custom ceramics, covering everything from concept to final production.
You’ll learn washes, glazing, pigment layering, texture creation, wet and dry spotting techniques, and how to achieve decorative and narrative effects with watercolor.
The course guides you in selecting and mixing colors, building harmonious palettes, analyzing the color wheel, and applying contrast and harmony schemes in your compositions.