Watercolor Painting: Explore Dry Brush Techniques

A course by Valentina Grilli , Illustrator

Illustrator . Milán, Italy.
Joined January 2021

Discover a different approach to watercolor painting by learning the dry-brush technique to create illustrations of nature

98% positive reviews (47)
1,679 students
Audio: English
English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Discover a different approach to watercolor painting by learning the dry-brush technique to create illustrations of nature

Ready to learn a unique approach to watercolor? Valentina Grilli is a renowned illustrator who has collaborated with top brands like Kartell and institutions like Raffles Milano. Valentina's work has been featured in Simbiozy and presented at ArteCreativa 42 in Turin and On Art Gallery in Florence. She is here to show you how to create striking works of art using dry brush techniques, an alternative method of using watercolor that consists, less and less water to arrive at pigment almost in purity. This alternative approach makes it possible to achieve a very high degree of detail, as you proceed with smaller, less diluted brush strokes, known as grisaille.

Valentina's artistic inspiration comes from nature. She enjoys observing and picking wild plants and flowers, and she uses the dry-brush watercolor technique to capture their beauty. This technique allows for an excellent degree of detail, similar to drawing with brushes. Throughout the course, Valentina will show you how to use this alternative approach to watercolor and create your own nature portraits.

Read more ↓

What will you learn in this online course?

15 lessons & 18 downloads

Tools and Materials
5 minutes, 1 second
Choice of Subjects
4 minutes, 5 seconds
Preparation of the Grisaille
16 minutes, 25 seconds
Dry Brush
13 minutes, 42 seconds
  • 98% positive reviews (47)
  • 1,679 students
  • 15 lessons (2h 47m)
  • 18 additional resources (3 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: English
  • English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Illustrate a watercolor painting of a summer tree with a simple background.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

This course is for anyone who wants to expand their abilities in the art of watercolor.

Requirements and materials

Previous experience in watercolor is recommended.

In terms of materials, you need watercolors, paper, brushes, transparent glass, pencils, and an eraser.


Reviews

1,679 Students
47 Reviews
98% Positive ratings

Valentina Grilli

A course by Valentina Grilli

Teacher Plus
Illustrator

Valentina Grilli is an Italian painter who graduated in Art's History from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts. Her career started in fashion, working as a textile designer for top brands like Roberto Cavalli and Patrizia Pepe, but eventually shifted to painting. Her naturalistic subjects won her national awards and exhibitions in Italy and abroad. She has exhibited her work at various galleries in Italy, London, and Berlin and has won awards such as second place at Golden Turtle 2021 and semifinalist at Figurativas 2022. The artist also gives Dry Brush watercolor workshops in Italy and abroad, and teaches at the prestigious Raffles fashion and design institute in Milan. She has also experimented in the field of illustration, using her technical expertise.

Currently, Valentina is working on a series of trees for her first solo exhibition next fall. Dry brush watercolor is her chosen technique for this series. Her encounter with graphics and design has further stimulated her experimentation in illustration. The artist's technical expertise and experience have led her to give workshops and teach at Raffles, providing her students with insights and skills in the use of various techniques, including dry brush watercolor.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • About Me
    • Influences
  • U2

    The First Steps

    • Tools and Materials
    • Choice of Subjects
    • Preparation of the Grisaille
    • Clear and Dark Lighting
  • U3

    Painting a Tree with Dry Brush

    • The First Drafts and Composition
    • Defining the Palette and Preparing the Color
    • Dry Brush
    • Basic Volumes
    • Details and Texture 1
    • Details and Texture 2
  • U4

    Creating a Simple Landscape

    • Grass
    • Background
    • Retouching and Glazing
  • FP

    Final project

    • Watercolor Painting: Explore Dry Brush Techniques

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
    Plus

    If 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

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.

The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
Watercolor Painting: Explore Dry Brush Techniques. Illustration course by Valentina Grilli

Watercolor Painting: Explore Dry Brush Techniques

A course by Valentina Grilli
Illustrator . Milán, Italy.
Joined January 2021
  • 98% positive reviews (47)
  • 1,679 students