Watercolor Tutorial – Golden Shower Tree

This is a time of Onam festivities in Kerala ! With just a few days left to Onam, the excitement can be felt in the air! Even though, this year has been unusual because of the pandemic, that has not dampened the spirit of Keralites!

If we can not socialize and celebrate festivals like we did every year, that does not mean we can not make it beautiful! We can still make it joyous and revel in the spirit of festivities by learning to create new artwork!

With that intention in mind, we bring to you a series of Kerala inspired artworks with step by step instructions for you to follow and create your own masterpiece! This will be a beginner level series done with watercolors and pencils.

Step 1: Light Sketch

First we will do a quick, light sketch of the flower! For this purpose, you can choose a reference image online. Remember to keep the drawing super light and since it is a flower, we can keep it free hand!

Step 2: Create mixture in palette

Next, we will take a little bit of lemon yellow on our palette and add a few drops of water. Remember the more water you add, the lighter the colour would become.

Now we will take some water on the brush and spread it a bit on our flowers. Most importantly, do not add a lot of water. Just a light wash with a wet brush.

Step 3: Light strokes

We will now gently apply a layer of yellow, which we mixed with water.Remember to keep your strokes light, as this is the first layer. Do not add a lot of water.

The consistency should be that it is easy to move your brush around but not dripping with water.

Step 4: Fill all the flowers

We will now fill all the flowers in the same way.

Be gentle and patient.

Step 5: Branches

Mix a little Sap green and lemon yellow on the palette and start filling in the branches.

Step 6: Fill all branches

Slowly and gently, fill in all branches with green.

Step 7: Second Layer

Now we will let the first layer dry. In the meantime, we can create the watercolor mix for the second layer. For the second layer, we will mix lemon yellow and yellow ochre with a little bit of water. Consequently, this will give us a deeper yellow with which we can do shadows and add details.

Once the mix is created, very gently start applying this colour on top of the first layer.

Step 8: Adding details

Keep adding details in the darker spaces. The centre of the flower has to be darker as compared to the rest of the flower.

Step 9: Final touches

Lastly, using a finer brush gently add more details. Keep the strokes soft and gentle. Use less water where you want colour to be dark.

The final piece should look something like this!

1. Always use good quality paper for watercolors. Low quality paper will warp and start tearing.
2. Always use a tissue paper or a cloth handy to wipe out excess water.
3. Start with lighter tones and slowly move on to the dark.
4. Water to color proportion matters a lot because too much water will lead to very light colours. Similarly, too less water will lead to paint not being able to move.
5. Wait for the first layer to dry before you start working on the second one.
6. Remember to keep practicing. It is a fun medium!

Hope you enjoyed this first watercolor illustration of Cassia Fistula or Golden shower tree!