Techniques applied to watercolour illustration
A course by Ana Victoria CalderonPainter and Illustrator
A course by Ana Victoria Calderon, Painter and Illustrator
Learn to digitize your illustrations, commercialize them, and apply them to design projects
Illustrator, designer, visual artist, and watercolor specialist Ana Victoria Calderón has managed to create her own style and often commercializes her pieces as art licenses for a range of different projects. In this course, she teaches you how to work with watercolor helping you to become an independent illustrator.
This course is complementary to Modern Watercolor Techniques, also taught by Ana, in which you learn to create watercolor illustrations through a botanical study. You also discover the application of this technique to lettering.
Hand in hand with Ana Victoria, discover how to digitize your watercolor pieces for use in several different mediums as well as the best way to market your designs.
What will you learn in this online course?
17 lessons & 8 downloads
The project
1 minute, 57 seconds
materials
5 minutes, 15 seconds
Creative process and botanical study I
19 minutes, 25 seconds
Sketch and composition
9 minutes, 33 seconds
Lettering in watercolor
19 minutes, 44 seconds
Details in photoshop
16 minutes, 45 seconds
What's included in this course?
Start with some tips and tricks for painting with watercolor: glazing, negative painting, transparencies, and more. Ana Victoria shares some composition exercises and teaches you how watercolors can be applied to lettering.
Once your work is down on paper, Ana Victoria explains how to digitize it. See how to scan your watercolors correctly, how to clean and edit the file in Photoshop, and how to adjust the color so that your file remains faithful to the original.
Now add some lettering and other design elements to your artwork to create a ready-to-send composition for printing. Take a moment to marvel at the finished product before hearing some final tips about how to customize and present your project.
Ana discusses how to market your work on an online store, her experience with art licensing and the “print on demand” method, as well as what it’s like to work with commercial clients.
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
Create a piece combining watercolor illustration, lettering, and design that you can digitize and print.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Illustrators, designers, and artists who want to take their work to a professional level and discover the best way to commercialize their work.
Requirements and materials
Basic knowledge of watercolor or completion of Ana Victoria’s course Modern Watercolor Techniques is necessary for this course, as well as some basic notions of design and Photoshop.
In terms of materials, you need watercolor paper, paintbrushes, your preferred watercolors, water, a scanner, and a computer with access to Photoshop. You also need to have found the best place to print your projects locally.
Reviews
- 4 months ago
Muy bien explicado para empezar!
- 5 months ago
un corso facile ed utile da seguire per iniziare utilizzare questa tecnica ci sta
- 7 months ago
Para quem nunca pintou aguarela foi-me muito útil. A professora é 5 estrelas. Gostei muito
- 7 months ago
Excelente! Nuevamente destaco la generosidad de la profesora para compartir sus conocimientos. Es muy clara en el paso a paso y se siente muy cercana. Lo que sigue es animarse y practicar y practicar sin olvidarse de disfrutar el proceso.
- 10 months ago
achei muito prático. Ela é super didática e me encoraja muito a seguir experimentando e "brincando" com aquarela.
She graduated in information design from the University of the Americas Puebla (UDLAP), while also working towards her degree in visual arts.
It’s easy to spot her illustrations on prints, bags, notebooks, ceramics, kitchenware, greeting cards, book covers, and a wide range of different products. She licenses her art to companies such as Hallmark, Papyrus, Trader Joe's, and more and has collaborated with Vanity Fair, Elle, Editorial Santillana, Travesías, Ray Ban, and Dr. Bronner's.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- U2
Before starting
- The project
- materials
- U3
Watercolor on paper
- Creative process and botanical study I
- Creative process and botanical study II
- Sketch and composition
- Lettering in watercolor
- Completion of our watercolor
- U4
Digital Process
- Scanning
- Details in photoshop
- Final file preparation
- U5
Production and final project
- Finishes
- U6
Watercolor in the professional field
- Produce your own products
- Art licenses
- Watercolor for clients
- FP
Final project
- Watercolor applied to design projects
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
You’ll learn how to create watercolor illustrations, digitize them properly, edit in Photoshop, prepare files for printing, and market your work through online shops or licensing.
This course is geared toward intermediate learners—perfect if you have basic watercolor or illustration skills and want to take your work to a professional, market-ready level.
You’ll need watercolors, suitable paper, brushes, a scanner, a computer with Photoshop, and access to a printer. A camera or smartphone is also recommended for product photography.
You’ll learn how to set up your scanner, choose the right resolution, crop your scans, and save files in formats optimized for professional printing and online sales.
The course covers techniques for removing backgrounds, fixing blemishes, adjusting color levels, separating elements into layers, and prepping files for print and digital products.
You’ll learn how to adapt your digitized watercolors for various formats and products, including stationery, wedding invitations, prints, notebooks, and more.
You’ll discover how to select textured, hot press, and other paper types, as well as how to prepare files and choose printers that preserve watercolor’s subtle details and quality.