Tufted Titmouse Tutorial - beginner/intermediate (Patreon)

Hi everyone,

Here is a little tufted titmouse I painted using a limited palette and a combination of wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry techniques.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to suggest soft feathers by allowing the paint to flow across the paper rather than painting every feather individually. We’ll mix greys and rich darks from just French Ultramarine and Transparent Sienna, add subtle warm touches with Ruby Red and Transparent Yellow, and use careful edge control to create depth and form.

We’ll also paint a simple branch that supports the bird without competing for attention, and I’ll explain the decisions I make along the way, showing you how I use soft and hard edges, subtle colour shifts, and carefully placed darks to create form and keep the bird looking soft and fresh.

This tutorial is suitable for advanced beginners and intermediate watercolour painters who are looking to become more confident working with wet-on-wet techniques and creating soft and natural feather textures.

All of the files needed to complete the project, including 9 progress photos of my painting, are attached below. Download them individually or all at once by clicking on the "Download all" button.

I hope you enjoy painting this little bird, and I can’t wait to see your finished paintings in the community!

Louise

The reference photo was taken by Lori Dunn from Pixabay:https://pixabay.com/photos/tufted-titmouse-songbird-bird-9486916/

If you are looking for other tutorials - you will find them all on the indexes below:

Painting Thumbnail Index: https://www.louisedemasi.com/patreon-index

Tutorial Word Index: https://www.patreon.com/posts/patreon-index-34865676

You can also find them in the 'Collections' area of Patreon.