Cottages 🌸✨ (Step-by-step guide - Week 37) (Patreon)

Hi!! 🤗

In this post I will talk you through the two steps of creating an illustration with brush pens & pencils based on this week's references 🥰

You will find my tips & step by step instructions from base layer to final illustrations below, together with the materials I used!

Tips

Here are some tips for this month's references:

Draw your own version of the references: Use the reference as an idea, and create your own illustrations by adding an extra flowers, skipping a flower, adding an extra leaf, etc. Just play with it and have fun!

Use more colors than usual: Most of the time I try to draw with a limited color palette, but sometimes it's so much fun to use many colors in one illustration! It makes the illustration more whimsical as well 🥰

Keep the background soft: The grass, greenery or flowers in the background don't need details, keep them soft and blurry!

Create depth: When you think you are finished, look a second time at your illustration and see if there is enough depth in it. You can always add more by using Dark Indigo!

Enjoy the imperfections: Loose illustrations look more lively because they're not too perfect. Focus on capturing the feeling and the colors of the place rather than every tiny detail.

Cottage 1

I used the following Brush pens as a base layer:

Tombow 126 (Light olive)

Tombow 912 (Pale Cherry)

Tombow 990 (Light Sand) (Or you can use Ecoline 374, Pink Beige)

Tombow 133 (Chartreuse, Light green)

Start by drawing the outlines of the rooftop with Pale Cherry and fill it in. Then add some windows to the house, the fence and the path with Light Sand or Pink Beige. Use light green for the grass and hills and Light olive for the bushes and shading.

For the second layer, I used the following colored pencils:

Faber-Castell 157 (Dark Indigo)

Faber-Castell 278 (Chrome Oxide Green)

Faber-Castell 283 (Burnt Siena)

Faber-Castell 188 (Sanguine)

Use Sanguine for the rooftop and chimney. Add some depth and details to the windows and door with burnt siena and dark indigo. Use Burnt Siena for the fence as well. Then Use Chrome Oxide green for the grass, hills and bushes around the front door.

You can add some extra shading to the path with Burnt Siena.

Cottage 2

I used the following Brush pens as a base layer:

Tombow 126 (Light olive)

Tombow 912 (Pale Cherry)

Tombow 990 (Light Sand) (Or you can use Ecoline 374, Pink Beige)

Tombow 133 (Chartreuse, Light green)

Tombow 553 (Mist purple)

First, draw rooftop of the house with Pale Cherry. Add some greenery and trees to the walls of the house and to the sides and the back. Use Mist Purple to create some windows. For the grass you can use Light Green.

For the second layer, I used the following colored pencils:

Faber-Castell 157 (Dark Indigo)

Faber-Castell 278 (Chrome Oxide Green)

Faber-Castell 283 (Burnt Siena)

Faber-Castell 188 (Sanguine)

For the second layer, start by tracing the outlines of the rooftop with Sanguine. Then add detail to the greenery and trees with chrome oxide green. Use Dark Indigo to add the windows and use Burnt Siena for some extra depth and for the tree trunks.

Have fun with these pretty references! 🥰

And as always, don't hesitate to ask me any questions or to show your illustrations in the group chat 🤗

Celyn 🌸