Watercolor Mantis

If you've been on my blog before, you may have heard me mention that I'm friends with a group of artists on instagram where once a week we decide on a single subject, and then each draw/sketch/paint the subject however we like. This week I chose the subject to be a praying mantis. A friend here on Steemit and another very talented artist @drawingablank suggested that I do an insect next. So that's where I came up with a praying mantis!

On a whim, I decided to paint the mantis in watercolor. (Maybe because I haven't used it in a while, and it's always good to switch up mediums from time to time.)

This isn't a very large watercolor, even so, because I was going for a realistic appearance it did take a couple of hours. I used a 4 inch x 6 inch piece of watercolor paper from Strathmore. It's actually from a booklet of watercolor postcards. It has a space on the back for writing and a place for a stamp just how you would see on a regular postcard. These are so fun!

Materials Used:

• Master's Touch round watercolor brush (size 4)
• Master's Touch round watercolor brush (size 8)
• Master's Touch detailer watercolor brush (size 1)
• 4 in. x 6 in. Strathmore blank watercolor post card
• Watercolor paints (Art Studio brand)
• Speedball acrylic ink in the color indigo blue (for signature)
• Speedball dip pen (for signature)

Take care and have a good day, friends!