Using a watercolor photo treatment that looks right was very difficult in the past. Most automated WC actions look like they had are done by a machine. I have a feeling that getting all the subtle nuances inherent in watercolor into a math equation would be amazingly difficult. It’s still not easy even when you do it by individual strokes.
Enter England’s Tom Shelbourne. He has developed a watercolor palette for Photoshop CS6 and CC that can move you way down the road to having more realistic watercolor techniques at your fingertips. You can go to Russell Brown’s website and download it for free. It takes you step by step, inch by inch (OK Layer by Layer) through a technique that helps you with the line drawing, setting up brushes and the opacity for laying down washes and getting more detail oriented as each layer is completed. This is NOT a push button watercolor system, but it will move your imagery much further in a realistic direction. Watch a video explanation of the WC Palette here.
If you like what you see there but feel the limitations you can go to Tim’s web site The Artists Quarter and Tim Has tutorials that take you even deeper into creating fine watercolor art with unlimited variations. I bought his watercolor tutorial ‘Fast and Loose’ and it really opens up the creativity and possibilities!
I wanted to create a tribute as a thank you for the Code Talkers service performed during WW2.
Bill Toledo – WW2 Navajo Code Talker in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Here is the original photo I started with of a Navajo Code Talker taken with the Panasonic Lumix GX7. I wasn’t able to get Bill to a cleaner background but we did move under an overhang so I could get some better light on his face for depth with a bit more shadow. You can see it’s a busy background. Fortunately, when creating paintings you have the option of only showing what you wish to show.
Digital Watercolor of Bill using some of Tim Shebourne’s techniques
Here’s the same photo after spending some time working with a few more of Tim’s techniques. I haven’t finished the tutorial yet so I know there’s even more realism down the road in creating Fine Art Watercolors with my photography as a base. I highly recommend you check out Tim’s tutorials if you want to have realistic digital watercolor as part of your offerings.
Another watercolor version combining a US flag to help tell the story.
The images are created in honor of the Navajo Code Talkers service to our country, but I would like for you to take time to remember all of our veterans, living and fallen during this Memorial Day. As General George Patton said, “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.”
Yours in Photography, Bob
