Watercolor Illustration: Painting Realistic Wildlife
A course by Ella Sienna , Watercolor Artist
Learn how to paint realistic wildlife illustrations with watercolor by exploring a variety of techniques to create layers, texture, depth, and more
Ella is a watercolor artist who has worked with top companies like Chantecaille, Soho House, The National Trust, and Sarah Flint. She is drawn to the natural world and its infinite variety, filling her desk with illustrations of botanicals, insects, and wild creatures. Ella's attention to detail is what brings her artwork to life, and she is excited to share with her techniques with you in this course.
In this online course, you'll learn how to paint realistic wildlife illustrations with watercolor. Ella will guide you through the basics, teaching you how to mix colors and master brush and water control techniques. You'll learn how to tackle animal textures, including fur, hair, horns, scales, and skin, and how to make the best drawing possible for a painting you can be proud of.
What will you learn in this online course?
18 lessons & 30 downloads
- 99% positive reviews (159)
- 7,221 students
- 18 lessons (4h 6m)
- 30 additional resources (12 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, Spanish (Latam), French, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Illustrate a realistic animal portrait. Ella paints a giraffe, but you are free to paint what you wish.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is perfect for confident watercolor beginners.
Requirements and materials
No previous experience is necessary, but it's always helpful.
In terms of materials, you need watercolor paint, brushes, a palette, watercolor paper, a pencil, and eraser.
Reviews
Ella Sienna
A course by Ella Sienna
Ella Sienna is a London-based watercolor artist, paint-maker, and event stationery designer with over two decades of experience. Her artistic style is heavily influenced by the natural world, and she enjoys painting animals, blossoming botanicals, and iridescent insects. The artist's paintings are characterized by their use of vibrant, jewel-toned colors and a focus on intricate details.
Having established herself as a professional watercolor artist, she has collaborated with several clients, including Chantecaille, Soho House, and the National Trust. In addition to her work as a watercolor artist, she also operates an event stationery company, creating botanical invitations with intricate details.
Content
-
U1
Introduction
-
About Me
-
Influences
-
-
U2
Basic Watercolour Techniques and Materials
-
The Materials
-
Mixing Colours: How to Avoid Mud
-
Water and Brush Control 1
-
Water and Brush Control 2
-
Animal Textures: Feathers and Fur
-
Animal Textures: Horns, Scales, and Skin 1
-
Animal Textures: Horns, Scales, and Skin 2
-
Basics of Sketching
-
-
U3
Creating Wildlife Portraits with Watercolours
-
Transferring the Drawing to Watercolour Paper
-
The Base Layer
-
The Shadows
-
Hair and Texture
-
The Spots
-
Highlights and Finishing Touches
-
-
U4
Final Advice
-
How to Photograph Your Paintings
-
How to Fix Almost Every Watercolour Mistake
-
-
FP
Final project
-
Watercolor Illustration of Realistic Wildlife
-
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
This course is designed for intermediate artists who already have basic watercolor skills and want to advance their botanical and wildlife illustration techniques.
You’ll need watercolor paints, various brushes, quality watercolor paper, pencils, a kneaded eraser, and basic photography equipment for documenting your artwork.
You’ll learn advanced watercolor techniques, realistic animal and plant textures, color mixing, composition, correcting mistakes, and how to photograph and share your finished artwork.
Some prior experience with watercolor painting is recommended, as the course covers intermediate to advanced techniques for realistic illustration.
Topics include botanical and wildlife painting, color theory, brush techniques, drawing transfers, creating textures, correcting mistakes, and photographing your work.
Yes, the course teaches you how to mix vibrant greens, dynamic neutrals, and natural hues using split primary and complementary color techniques.
The course demonstrates graphite transfer and tracing methods to replicate your drawing onto watercolor paper while maintaining paper integrity.
davvero molto bello, l'insegnante molto chiara e accurata
I loved this course
Very thorough introduction to watercolour.
I loved this course, the exercises are really nice and useful, I learned about color choices, textures, etc. Ella es really nice and clear and I really like her style, I made the exercises many times because I enjoyed them a lot
meraviglioso e ben strutturato, tante nozioni interessanti ed utili