Paint a Swan Mom & Baby
This sweet Mama Swan and her baby are easy enough for beginner painters. Learn an easy way to achieve depth by adding shadows to water, grassy areas and to the swans themselves.
Colors:
White, Black, Sap or Chrome Oxide Green, ultramarine Blue, Yellow Ochre, Cad Red Light. Lt. Olive Green (or any yellowy-green), dioxazine purple
Surface & Prep
11 x 14 canvas, painted dark gray. Dry. Transfer design using white or light transfer paper. Sketch in land form using chalk.
Water
Using mixes of SG (COG)+ UMB +Tch of DP+tch Black, and starting in upper right corner with horizontal strokes, begin filling in water area (going around the land area). Get lighter as you come to the front of your painting, by leaving out the DP & Black and then get lighter still, adding some yellow ocher to the Sap or Chrome Oxide toward the very front.
Shadow color:
Take some of your very darkest mix (green+ UMB+DP+tch Black) & add shadows under the land and under the swans & lily pads. Allow to blend into the surrounding water.
Land Formation
Base in with SG + t ch DP. Add dirt at shoreline by mixing a touch of CRlt into the green.
Then use a fan brush (in a “jabbing” motion) to add medium value grass with lt. Olive Green + YO. Go back with a liner brush and same colors + a bit more Yellow Ochre and a bit of white to make stronger blades of grass & reeds.
Swan and Baby
Begin with a dark gray mix of White + Black. While still wet, begin blending in small amounts of White on head, neck and body. Adding as much as you need to create the shape and Whiteness desired. Remember to keep some shadow under the wing and then add white strokes on top for accent.
Add more shadows & more highlights as needed (remember dark against light creates form). Accent with thinned (watery) YO.
Beak: Yellow Ochre
Eye: Black
Lily Pads
Shades of green (+YO) that show up against the water, with leaf marking done in above shadow color + green. Shade under pads with above shadow color.
Water Lilies
White + shades of Cad Red Lt., Highlight with White
Water Highlights
Green mixes + White (horizontal strokes). Accent with a a few pure white “Glints”.
Relax and Enjoy painting these beautiful swans.